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Football fans around the globe are guaranteed a treat on Saturday as Real Madrid and Liverpool go head-to-head in the Champions League final showdown at Kiev.
Jurgen Klopp will be looking forward to thwarting the Spanish giants Champions League hat-trick whereas Los Blancos will toil laboriously to drub the inexperienced Reds.
Zinedine Zidane's side had to undergo a bone-breaking journey for their Champions League final destination, overcoming the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Bayern Munich in the process.
Liverpool on the contrary had a relatively easier route to the final. They were pitted against Porto, Manchester City and AS Roma in the knockout rounds, each of whom were trounced by Klopp's free-scoring team.
However, despite their somewhat straight-forward route, Liverpool still stand a good chance against Real Madrid and have shown many a time that they should not be underestimated.
On that note, let us take a look at 3 reasons why Liverpool might humble Real Madrid at NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium on 26 May.
#3 Real Madrid's smugness
It's natural after all!
Having won the last two Champions League titles in grand fashion under Zinedine Zidane, it is quite reasonable for Los Blancos to be proud of their achievements. The 12-time Champions League winners are being tipped as favourites against a youthful Liverpool side for the much-hyped final.
In a recent interview, the former Spain and Real Madrid manager, Vicente del Bosque brazenly claimed,
"I don't see even one Liverpool player who would improve Real Madrid, not even Salah."
With the media and the fans putting Zidane's side on a pedestal, Liverpool might stealthily pull off a shocking upset in the upcoming final.
#2 Jurgen Klopp's superior tactics
If anyone is to be held accountable for Liverpool's unanticipated success in European football, it has to be the German mastermind, Jurgen Klopp, who would come to the fore.
Klopp's tactics have been enormously undervalued this season due to Pep Guardiola taking the stage with his record-breaking Manchester team. However, the German manager's "Gegenpressing" and counter-attacking system saw even Guardiola's seemingly unassailable side being shellacked in the Champions league semi-final as well as the Premier League.
If Klopp gets his tactics right, his ferocious attacking unit comprising the likes of Salah, Mane and Firminho could easily breach Real Madrid's defence, which has already been exposed by La Liga minnows over the course of this season.
#1 Liverpool have Mohamed Salah
When Liverpool bought Mohamed Salah from AS Roma for £37.8m back in June 2017, not even the most optimistic of Liverpool fans could have predicted the impact he has made on the club.
'The Egyptian King' has racked up 44 goals in all competitions during his sensational debut season for The Reds. The 25-year-old will be hoping to find the back of the net once again on the Saturday night.
It would be interesting how Zidane attempts to curb the Egyptian's impact on the game with an expected head-to-head battle between Marcelo and Salah. Marcelo has occasionally found himself in the firing line this season for being too "attack-minded", which has often resulted in Real Madrid being exposed defensively.
Zidane is used to playing a high defensive line, which could be of significant help to Salah, who is proficient at exploiting the space behind defenses with his lightning pace.
Under the circumstances, it seems the Egyptian international could be a potential game changer in the Champions League final.
