When the Champions League quarterfinals was announced last Friday, there could be no doubt that Real Madrid fans cried a bit.

The defending champs now have to go through the team that they topped last May in order to claim the title one more time. The problem is that, since that win back in Lisbon, Carlo Ancelotti's men have a record of four losses and two draws against Atletico Madrid.

This hex is something that Atletico fans knew for far longer when their club was powerless against Real Madrid. But now it will be on Los Blancos to find ways to finally sort out their crosstown rivals if they have hopes of claiming any trophy in 2014-15. Here are some ways Madrid can top their rivals:

Hound Koke

It is rather interesting that since taking down Real Madrid 4-0 in early February, Atletico has a paltry record of three wins, three draws and two losses. The team has fallen back in the race for first place or even third.

The main reason? Koke.

The Spanish midfielder was out injured for a stretch of games and the team lost two games and won one. And even when he did make his return against Sevilla, he only played 26 minutes and watched his side draw 0-0. In the ensuing game against a hot Valencia side, Atletico drew 1-1 with Koke playing just 69 minutes and scored the goal that tied the game.

In the last three games in which he has played the full 90, the team has two wins and a draw.

Koke is the midfield maestro for Atletico and the ball runs through him. He has nine assists, most on the team, and leads the side in passes per game and key passes per game.

If Ancelotti's men can unsettle Koke, then they could kill Atletico's offensive game.

Attack on the Counter

Atletico knows how to shut down Real Madrid: Sit back and wait. Attack aggressively and funnel all passing to the wings where defense in numbers will shut down Real Madrid's game.

But the reality of the situation is that while Atletico has a decent defense, they are not immune to counters and have been picked apart repeatedly by Barcelona and other teams on the counter. Real Madrid can counter with the best of them and needs to employ this tactic; eight of the team's goals in Spain have come from counters, more than any other team in the league. How many does Atletico have on the counter? Just one.

Atletico is not the swiftest of sides defensively and will undoubtedly not want to get into a track race with Real Madrid. Because it will lose it.

Limit Aerial Opportunities

This is obviously more difficult to execute, but Real Madrid knows that getting into an aerial tussle with Atletico is the wrong way to approach this match. Los Colchoneros have the best aerial attack in Europe and have already destroyed Real Madrid via this manner all season long.

Keeping the air play to a minimum will shut down one of Atletico's top means to attack. Twenty-four of the team's goals have come from setpieces; that accounts for 45 percent of the team's Spanish League goals. For comparison, only 11 of Real Madrid's goals have come from the setpiece.

Tackle Right Back

Part of the problem with Real Madrid in its matches with Atletico is that the team seems intimidated by the physicality of its opponents. Under Diego Simeone, Atletico throws its body and legs around at will, often throwing opponents off their games.

But that can work inversely as Atletico is a team with a bevy of red cards on the year. The team has 84 yellow cards on the year and five red cards overall. In that regard, the team is sixth in the Spanish League. Meanwhile, Real Madrid is one of the more disciplined sides with 62 yellow cards and three red cards. Getting Los Colchoneros frustrated via tackles could lead to hot heads on the opposite side of the pitch and even some discipline situations, something that could favor Real Madrid.

BBC

The attacking trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale need to come to life. These three have done close to nothing against Atletico in 2014-15 with only a few goals from Ronaldo accounting for the team's goalscoring against its crosstown rival from the trio.

This trend must be reversed and it can only come about if this attacking team becomes a factor in games, making tackles and pressuring the opposition incessantly.