'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Liverpool could add the UEFA Champions League title to their already rich trophy collection this season but their opponents Real Madrid are no pushovers.
Liverpool had to dig deep to keep an organized Chelsea side at bay for 120 minutes in the FA Cup final on Saturday, May 14. Eventually, the same script that the Carabao Cup final followed played out at Wembley.
Jurgen Klopp's men won the penalty shootout and wrapped their hands around the FA Cup trophy after a gap of 16 years.
Liverpool will have to outdo themselves to beat Real Madrid in the Champions League final
Liverpool have been one of the most dominant sides on the continent this term. They've done exceptionally well in the Champions League but Real Madrid's journey to the final has been way more testing.
Real Madrid have seen off Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City in the knockout stages. In each of those ties, there were times when Real Madrid seemed to have run out of luck and looked destined to fail. But they've shown an incredible ability to come up trumps in the face of adversity.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five reasons why Real Madrid have an advantage over Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League final.
#5 It has been a long taxing season for Liverpool
Liverpool have gone all the way in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup. They've won both domestic cup competitions and are now giving Manchester City a run for their money as far as the Premier League title race is concerned.
The Merseysiders trail City by three points heading into the last two Premier League gameweeks of the season. It has been a hugely enjoyable and successful campaign already, but it has also been a grueling one.
By the time Liverpool take on Real Madrid in the Champions League, they will have played almost the maximum number of games they could have this term. That will take a toll on the players and there could be some tired minds and tired legs out there at the Stade de France on May 28.
#4 Liverpool are concerned over the fitness of key players
Mohamed Salah was taken off in the first half of the FA Cup final against Chelsea. To make matters worse, Liverpool's key man in defence, Virgil van Dijk, was also forced off after the player told Klopp that he was 'feeling something'.
Speaking to the press after the game, Klopp said (via LiverpoolFC.com):
“It was my decision, it was pretty cautionary. Mo said, ‘I feel something, I can carry on.’ I said, ‘No.’ A football game is not a perfect physiotherapist, it means it rarely gets better during a game.
“Then Virg stands with me and says, ‘I feel something but it’s fine I think.’ We make a decision together, so he stays on but was clear when we didn’t make it in 90 minutes he has to go off.”
He added:
“Obviously I spoke to both already after the game, both are really OK. All that we know is it’s not a big thing, we really came through.
“But the next game is on Tuesday and that’s obviously pretty quick. No, I think they both will be fine, but not… maybe… we have training tomorrow morning, then if they tell me ‘I’m completely fine’ I will be surprised but I will take it and then we have to go from there. So we will see.”
Klopp has downplayed the severity of the injuries but until the official diagnoses are here, Liverpool fans could be expecting the worst. The Merseysiders were also without defensive midfielder Fabinho for the FA Cup final.
He suffered a muscle injury in the 2-1 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League on May 11. Liverpool are essentially sweating on the fitness of three of their key players heading into their biggest game of the season.
#3 More expectations and pressure on Liverpool
This Liverpool side is one of the best English sides of the modern era. Jurgen Klopp has transformed the former 'nostalgia merchants' into a juggernaut of sorts. If not for a freakishly talented and enviably assembled side like Manchester City, Liverpool would be ambling their way to the Premier League title as well.
In the aftermath of Real Madrid booking their place in the Champions League final, Liverpool talisman Salah let out a war cry.
On the prospect of facing Real Madrid in the Champions League final, Salah told Sky Sports:
"If you ask everybody [at Liverpool], everyone wanted that game. I don't know why we're not allowed to talk about it but I'm ok to talk about it - I wanted that game! I wanted to play Real Madrid before that game [against Manchester City]."
He added:
"We lost in the (2018) final. It was a sad day for all of us and now it’s revenge time.”
There is a lot of pressure on Liverpool to win the Champions League title. We're quite familiar with the English media's proclivity for hyping their teams up. Losing a Champions League final to Real Madrid for the second time in four years would be enough to earn them some unpleasant and undeserved heat.
But will Liverpool be able to cement their status as one of the best sides of the modern era or will they have to be content with the 'almost great' badge?
#2 Real Madrid have got the better of Liverpool and Klopp in 2018 and 2021
In the final of the 2017-18 Champions League, Real Madrid thumped Liverpool 3-1. Gareth Bale's exceptional overhead kick was overshadowed by Mohamed Salah's injury and an absolute disasterclass from Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius.
Liverpool had quite a few things go awry for them that night and they were determined to exact revenge when the two sides clashed last season. The Reds met the Blancos in the quarter-finals of the Champions League last term.
Real Madrid won the tie 3-1 on aggregate and knocked Klopp's high-flyers out of Europe's elite competition. Having won two key fixtures over Liverpool in the recent past, Real Madrid will definitely fancy their chances in the final on May 28.
#1 Real Madrid are Champions League kings
Real Madrid have had to navigate a very tough path to the Champions League final. They have, in fact, proved over the course of the knockout stages that what they call 'Champions League heritage' is pretty real.
They have been crowned the champions of Europe four times in the last decade. Real Madrid overcame three of the finest teams in the Champions League knockout stages this term. They came from behind to beat PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City.
Real Madrid were trailing by two goals against Manchester City up until the 90th minute. They went on to score three goals to hand Pep Guardiola's side packing from the Champions League.
Karim Benzema has come up clutch for Real Madrid in all of those games. He scored a 17-minute hat-trick in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie against PSG. The Frenchman followed it up with a hat-trick against Chelsea in the first leg of the quarter-finals.
He scored the winning goal against the Blues in the second leg as well. Benzema then bagged a brace in the first leg of the semi-final against Manchester City. He provided an assist and scored the winning goal for Carlo Ancelotti's side in the fifth minute of extra time in the second leg.
These are the kind of tales befitting a legend. Benzema and this Real Madrid side are going to take some stopping.
