Liverpool’s steamroller against the eternal Real Madrid: the third Champions League final between these two European behemoths, on May 28 at the Stade de France (Seine-Saint-Denis), promises an epic battle with, in the background , the quest for a quadruple and that of the Ballon d’Or.
The Reds against the White House… The duo Mohamed Salah-Sadio Mané against the savior Karim Benzema. The flamboyant Jürgen Klopp against the sober Carlo Ancelotti… Could European football dream of a better final for its prestigious C1?
The Stade de France in Saint-Denis, designated in place of the initial host, Saint-Petersburg, after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, is therefore preparing to receive red and white cohorts of supporters, in which arguably stands as the peak of the 2021-22 season in world football.
The poster was barely known on Wednesday evening as the main players in the final have already promoted it. “We have a score to settle,” wrote Egyptian international Mohamed Salah on his social networks after Real’s miraculous qualification against Cityzens. In 2018, the Reds lost to Zidane’s Merengue (3-1). The former Roma player left the pitch prematurely and in tears due to a left collarbone injury following a charge from Sergio Ramos.
“I want to play against them, I have to be honest. City are a really difficult team, we have played them a few times this season, he had already pointed out to BT Sport on Tuesday evening after qualifying for Villarreal. But if you ask me my personal opinion, I would say Real Madrid. Because we lost against them in the final, so I hope to play against them again and we will win. »
Karim Benzema, for his part, preferred to retain the new feat rather than stir up the Anglo-Spanish rivalry. “See you in France for the final”. “A night full of emotions, he also wrote. Very proud of this team and the madridistas. Until the final! »
He is the main architect of the course of the Madrid team in this edition of the C1, with 15 achievements, including 10 during the knockout phase, with three hat-tricks against PSG in the round of 16 then Chelsea in the quarters.
Real is aiming for a 14th Champions League, which would make twice as many titles as its runner-up in history, AC Milan. Liverpool dreams of lifting the Cup with big ears for the seventh time, after his last coronation in 2019 against Tottenham. Between the two formations, it is also a beautiful one: the first final between the two clubs went into the hands of Liverpool, 1-0 in 1981; the second therefore smiled on the people of Madrid four years ago.