Four years and a day have passed since the Champions League final in Kiev in the 2017/18 season, which ended in Real Madrid’s 1: 3 win over Liverpool, a game in which Muhammad Salah was injured and substituted, goalkeeper Loris Carius was also injured and mistaken and the Blancos made good use of it to lift the European Cup. Tomorrow (Saturday, 22:00) the giant clubs will meet again in the Champions League final, this time in Paris, and for Salah and the Mighty Reds this will be an opportunity to avenge that unforgettable final. And the Blancos? After four names of anticipation and about a month after celebrating winning the Spanish Championship, they can lift the big-eared trophy for the 14th time in their history.
Liverpool
Liverpool are dreaming of a seventh Champions League win, thus breaking a tie with Bayern Munich, after being knocked out in the quarter-finals by Real Madrid last season. This could be Liverpool’s first win since 2018/19, when they beat Tottenham 0-2 in the final. This season she finished in first place in her early home and then passed Inter with 1: 2 in the sum of the meetings, Benfica with 4: 6 in the summary and Villarreal with 2: 5. Muhammad Salah is her top scorer in this year’s tournament with 8 such. The Reds have lost only once this season in 12 Champions League games and it was against Inter in the quarter-finals, and even then they went through a stage.
Liverpool will maintain their regular line-up, 4-3-3, in which they have been playing under Jürgen Klopp since joining the club in 2015. The front three in the final are expected to consist of Muhammad Salah, Sadio Mana and Luis Diaz with Roberto Firmino and Diego Jote waiting on the bench. The defensive quartet will consist of Trent Alexander Arnold on the right and Andre Robertson on the left of course with between them Ibrahimah Konata and Virgil Van Dyke. Thiago Alcantara, who has been in doubt all week after being injured in the home game against Wolves, is expected to wait on the bench while Fabino, Nabi Keita and Jordan Henderson will open.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid fantasizes about winning number 14 in the Champions League / Cup and is of course the pinnacle. The Blancos, who have not won the trophy with the big ears since 2017/18, then beat Liverpool in the final, went through a very difficult and full of comebacks road to reach the big class. It went hard against Paris Saint-Germain and ended with 2: 3 in the quarter-finals, then there was a comeback against Chelsea and 4: 5 in total and in the semi-finals they produced another miracle for themselves with 5: 6 against Manchester City. Real’s top scorer in the factory this season is of course Karim Benzema the indefatigable, who has scored 15 times in the Champions League this season. Now it feels like a distant memory, but in its first home game in the Champions League this season Real Madrid lost 2-1 to Sheriff Tiraspol.
Carlo Ancelotti will also maintain his regular lineup, 4-3-3, with Thibaut Courtois of course standing between the posts. Danny Carvajal, who has experienced quite a few ups and downs this season, will be the right defender, in the center of defense will play David Alaba and Adar Militeau and Perlan Mandy will be the left defender. The link will be the classic with Tony Cross, Casimiro and of course Luca Modric and at the front Federico Valvareda will connect to Vinicius and Karim Benzema.
The quotes
Liverpool defender Trent Alexander Arnold Said ahead of the game: “Even being in a position where I might win the Champions League for the second time in my career at such a young age is something special for me. There are a lot of legends who have not had this opportunity.”
Andy Robertson He added: “As long as Henderson puts his hands on the trophy, I do not care what happens. We managed to make up for the loss in Kiev 2018 with a win the following year. It is already history. Obviously it is Real Madrid again, but we want to win. In terms of mental fatigue this is the game “On Monday we felt a little disappointed after missing the championship, but from Tuesday we started concentrating only on the game against Real.”
The Reds coach Jürgen Klopp He added: “The mood is very good. We are very excited to be here. The situation of Fabino and Tiago Alcantara is very encouraging. Fabino trained normally, Tiago trained yesterday and will also train today. Real is the most decorated team in the Champions League. Some of its players can win the title for the fifth time “And her coach for the fourth time. We can not buy that experience, but we are here for the third time in five years.”
The German coach was asked about Muhammad Salah’s motivation and whether it all stems from revenge for the loss in 2018 and replied: “It’s different for him. We all get motivated by different things, it’s okay and no problem with that. That final is not the only motivation for him, but he clearly wants to “We have so many reasons to want to win.” Klopp also praised Sadio Mane and said: “He is in top form of his life. A pleasure to watch him in training and games. In the end we will all be measured by the color of our medal and that is fine with us. I am very proud of what we have done so far. Real Madrid is a favorite because of its experience “But if we are at our peak, it’s hard to play against us.”
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti: “99% of the players already know who is playing in the final. All the staff are qualified and everyone wants to play. They do not care about the number of minutes. We know what Real as a club requires of us. It was very important to come here and we are ready to make history after a very good season. “Confidence. The concern will come on Saturday afternoon, but I get a lot of confidence from the players. We deserve to reach the final. We have a lot of talent and ability, but it is not enough. We are very committed and the history of this club has pushed us forward in difficult moments.”
Ancelotti, who coached Everton until he returned to Real Madrid, said: “I know Everton fans will encourage us. I have good memories of the time I spent on the blue side and I know they will support me.”
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois: “We know how Liverpool play, they are its players coming to the games, we are ready for anything they will prepare for us. I am very ready if it goes to penalties, I did my homework. The atmosphere in the locker room is good and it is thanks to the coaching staff, Carlo manages it. excellent”.
The shield Marcello: “I am very happy and excited for the Champions League final. My future? I will speak after the final, Real Madrid is the club of my life, they gave me everything there. Whether I stay or not, I made history here.”
The home stage of the 2022/23 season will open on September 6 and the final will be held on June 10, 2023 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.