In a repeat of the 2018 UEFA Champions League final, Liverpool and Real Madrid will battle it out for European football’s top prize at the Stade de France on Saturday night.
Liverpool will be looking to seek revenge over Real Madrid following the Spaniards’ 3-1 triumph four years ago. But can Jurgen Klopp’s side get the better of Los Blancos?
🗣️ Listening to the boss!▶️ #RMCity | #APorLa14 pic.twitter.com/YJgqwhAA8v— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) May 25, 2022
🗣️ Listening to the boss!▶️ #RMCity | #APorLa14 pic.twitter.com/YJgqwhAA8v
Let’s not forget Real Madrid have won more Champions League titles than any other club (13). As for Liverpool, they have clinched six titles over the years – most recently in 2019.
Liverpool head into Saturday’s final on the back of a disappointing end to their Premier League campaign, having finished just a single point behind Manchester City.
Remarkably, the Reds lost just two of their 38 Premier League games but still failed to get their hands of the trophy. At the end of the day, Man City were too good.
In the Champions League, Liverpool qualified from Group B with a 100% record before dispatching Inter Milan (2-1), Benfica (6-4) and Villarreal (5-2) in the knockout phase to book their spot in the final.
Klopp’s boys are currently enjoying an 18-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, having picked up 15 wins and three draws since their last loss.
Liverpool have also lost just three of their previous 22 Champions League encounters, meaning they will be confident of lifting the trophy this weekend.
On the flip side, Real Madrid won five of their six Champions League group games to finish five points clear at the top of Group D.
Los Blancos then knocked out Paris Saint-Germain (3-2), Chelsea (5-4) and Manchester City (6-5) to punch their ticket to the showpiece, although they lost three of their six knockout games.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side completely dominated La Liga this season, losing just four of their 38 games to finish 13 points clear of second-place Barcelona and clinch the title.
That said, Real Madrid head into the final in iffy form – having recorded five wins, two draws and three losses across their past ten outings in all competitions.
Head-to-head: Liverpool and Real Madrid have faced each other eight times over the years. Liverpool have three wins to their name, while Real Madrid have four.
Los Blancos are unbeaten against the Reds since 2014, securing four straight wins before playing out a goalless draw in the previous meeting last year.
Team news: Liverpool will be without the injured Divock Origi on Saturday, while Thiago Alcantara, Fabinho and Joe Gomez are also doubts.
Real Madrid look set to be without injured centre-back David Alaba as he continues to recover from adductor problems.
If the previous meetings between these two sides are anything to go by, Saturday’s showdown should be a thrilling encounter with plenty of action at both ends of the pitch.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Liverpool and Real Madrid will play out a high-scoring draw inside 90 minutes – forcing the final to extra-time.