MY ACCOUNT
Liverpool and Real Madrid meet on Saturday evening in what promises to be a thrilling Champions League final at the Stade de France.
These two teams met in the showpiece of Europe’s elite competition in 2018 and it was Los Blancos who managed to come out on top that day, winning 3-1 in Kyiv to clinch a record-extending 13th European trophy.
Madrid head into Saturday’s clash in France as La Liga champions — a feat which means Carlo Ancelotti is the first coach to win all five major European league titles.
Meanwhile, Liverpool need to pick themselves up after losing out to Manchester City in the race for Premier League glory.
The Reds are eyeing a seventh European crown, which would move them level with AC Milan in second in the all-time standings, but will they be able to overcome the Real juggernaut?
Ancelotti’s men sent reigning champions Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City packing, while Jurgen Klopp’s troops dispatched Inter Milan, Benfica and Villarreal.
Team news
It initially looked bad for Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara after he picked up an Achilles injury on the final day of the season against Wolves.
However, after originally being downbeat, Klopp has changed his tune and there is hope the Spaniard will be fit enough to make the squad.
Fellow midfielder Fabinho is also expected to overcome a hamstring issue to take his place in the starting XI, while Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah should also start after being benched for the Wolves contest on the final day.
Ancelotti looks set to have a fully-fit squad to choose from with David Alaba, who returned to training in midweek following an adductor issue, likely to replace Nacho Fernandez in defence.
The stats
Madrid are the European powerhouse that everyone is trying to catch and they have won 81% of their European Cup and Champions League Finals, while they have not lost in this competition’s showpiece since 1981.
It was Liverpool who beat them 1-0 on that occasion, with Alan Kennedy scoring the only goal in a game played across town at the Parc des Princes.
Recent history will also give a boost to Los Blancos ahead of the Stade de France contest, with Spanish teams winning five of the last 10 Champions League finals,
They also have the added bonus of having Ancelotti in charge — the Italian is one of just three managers to win Europe’s elite competition three times.
Liverpool have also been thriving away from the domestic scene and this will be their third Champions League final in the last five years, having followed up the loss to Madrid in 2018 with victory over Tottenham a season later.
The Reds may have missed out on the Premier League but they are still in fantastic form heading into Saturday’s meeting, with the 3-1 final-day victory over Wolves extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to 18.
Predictions
There will be so much quality on show in France and that could make for an entertaining, high-scoring contest with the pair scoring a combined 58 Champions League goals this season.
With the likes of Salah, Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz, Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema — the tournament’s leading scorer with 15 — in attendance, it would be no surprise to see both teams get on the scoresheet.
A frantic pace and high tempo is also expected and although Liverpool usually thrive in this type of game, a gruelling campaign in which they were fighting for an unprecedented Quadruple could take its toll on them.
The Reds have played 62 games ahead of Saturday’s final, seven more than Madrid, and a potential need for extra-time would likely play into the hands of the Spanish champions.
