Liverpool vs Real Madrid
Champions League – Final
Date: Saturday, 28 May 2022
Kick-off at 20:00 UK/ 21:00 CET
Venue: Stade de France.
On Saturday night, it will be a titanic struggle at Stade de France as Liverpool and Real Madrid compete for the title of European Champions.
It all comes down to this: 32 teams, 124 matches, 379 goals.
On Saturday night, the final game of the UEFA Champions League will take place in Saint-Denis, France, when English Cup double winners Liverpool face La Liga champions Real Madrid in the final.
For both teams, the road to this showpiece event has been long and winding, with each squad facing its unique set of hurdles.
For Liverpool, it’s been a case of playing every game available this season, as they’ve advanced to three cup finals, winning two of them, and they’ve also come close to beating Manchester City in the Premier League championship chase.
Jurgen Klopp’s team advanced to the knockout stages after overcoming the group of death, which included Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, and FC Porto.
Liverpool then beat Benfica in the quarter-finals, despite a tense second-leg conclusion, before overcoming a determined Villarreal team in the semi-finals, who made things difficult for the Reds in the second leg in Spain.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, may have already sealed up the La Liga title race.
The Spanish heavyweights, on the other hand, have been on the verge of being eliminated from Europe on many occasions, only to show incredible passion and mental toughness to claw their way back into matches and eventually reach the competition’s finals.
Real Madrid met PSG in the Round of 16 after topping their group, which included Sheriff Tiraspol, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Inter Milan.
They came back after losing the first leg in France to eliminate them before defeating current holders Chelsea in a thrilling quarter-final clash.
The pinnacle of their achievements came in the semi-finals, when they overcame Manchester City with a comeback to remember.
Liverpool enters the match with an 18-game unbeaten streak in all competitions.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid has lost four of their last 15 matches in all competitions.
When the whistle blows at Stade de France on Saturday night, however, recent form will be irrelevant.
The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams ahead of the repeat of the 2017/18 Champions League final.
Liverpool vs Real Madrid Head-to-head :
- Four of the past six encounters had three or more goals.
- These two had locked horns in the 2017-18 Champions League Final, and then the Spaniards won 3-1.
- Then in the 2020-21 CL Quarter Final, the Los Blancos repeated their heroics once more, and progressed to the Final.
- Two of the past three meetings had goals from both teams.
Liverpool vs Real Madrid Prediction :
It’s a tough one to predict. This season, Liverpool has appeared in and won two cup finals, pushed Manchester City to the edge of the Premier League title fight, and hasn’t lost a game in over three months.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, has demonstrated time and time again this season that they can win in the most unlikely of circumstances, as they have done against PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City.
Both teams have talent around the pitch, and there isn’t much that separates them in terms of player quality, especially with the return of Fabinho and Thiago providing a timely boost for Liverpool.
The Reds, on the other hand, have shown to be a difficult squad to play against once they get into a groove and go about their business with unequaled zeal.
Real Madrid boast two of Europe’s most in-form attackers in Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema, while Rodrygo has demonstrated that he can cause plenty of havoc when called upon. As a result, we can anticipate Carlo Ancelotti’s side breaching Liverpool’s defense at least once.
Luis Diaz, on the other hand, could pose a threat to Dani Carvajal, while Mohamed Salah will be out for vengeance after being forced off injured in the 2017/18 UCL final.
Sadio Mane has been in excellent form, and with David Alaba returning from injury and Eder Militao’s career stumbling, Liverpool might win their seventh European title on Saturday in France.
Liverpool vs Real Madrid Team News :
Thiago Alcantara, who had begun to put together a steady run of matches and increase his fitness levels, was forced to leave the game against Wolves before the end of the first half after suffering an Achilles injury.
Klopp was initially gloomy about Thiago’s chances of appearing in the final, but he has since altered his mind, and there is renewed optimism about his availability for the match – whether he can play the full 90 or 120 minutes is a different matter entirely.
On a more positive note, Fabinho’s hamstring ailment is anticipated to improve with time after he rejoined to team training on Wednesday, and Joe Gomez is likely to return to the squad after recovering fast from an ankle injury.
Following their FA Cup final knocks, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah were both fit enough to sit on the bench last weekend and will hope to return to the starting XI here, with the latter scoring the Reds’ second to share the Golden Boot with Son Heung-min.
Salah will almost certainly replace Diogo Jota, while Ibrahima Konate was mainly to blame for Wolves’ quickfire opening at the weekend, but the Champions League regular will fight to keep his place ahead of Joel Matip for the final.
However, cult icon Divock Origi has played his final game for the club after suffering a muscle injury in training, meaning the famed Belgian will not have a farewell 2019 moment ahead of his expected free transfer to AC Milan.
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti, on the other hand, will hope to have everyone healthy and available for his side’s 17th European Cup/Champions League final, with David Alaba returning to training in midweek after an adductor issue.
Alaba was not in the squad for the match against Betis, but if there are no setbacks, he should take his rightful place in the starting XI, demoting Nacho Fernandez to the bench.
Marcelo has recovered from his fitness problems to make himself ready, but he will once again play second fiddle to Ferland Mendy, while Eder Militao is expected to keep his place despite requests for him to be withdrawn.
Eduardo Camavinga has been impressive off the bench during Real’s march to the final, but if one of the midfield trio suffers an injury before Saturday, the 19-year-old would only be able to beat Casemiro, Toni Kroos, or Luka Modric.
The Liverpool high line is designed for players like Vinicius and Rodrygo to rush in behind, but Rodrygo’s remarkable impact as a substitute may push Ancelotti to keep Federico Valverde somewhat more forward.
With another hat-trick in the showpiece event, Benzema would beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 17 Champions League goals in a single season, while he only needs to make the net ripple once to become the competition’s indisputable third-highest goalscorer, level with Robert Lewandowski on 86.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Mane, Diaz
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
