5 ways Liverpool can beat Real Madrid and win the UEFA Champions League

The stage is set. Kiev will play the hosts to the most anticipated match of the campaign. Liverpool play Real Madrid in the final of the UEFA Champions League 2017-18 season and it is safe to say that it surely doesn't get bigger than this.

Liverpool have stormed their way into the finals, courtesy of their dazzling front three which has oozed class against any opponent that came their way. Real Madrid, on the other hand, have pragmatically made their way into their third consecutive Champions League final.

Real Madrid can make it three in a row and thirteen overall with a win tomorrow night but in their way stand Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool - a side that has excelled beyond expectations and can be termed as the neutral's favourites.

But a squad that has 46 Champions League winning medals among them and a manager that can create history by making it three in a row deserve to be the favourites going into the final. In this piece, we will discuss the five ways Liverpool can adapt to beat Real Madrid and get the better of Cristiano Ronaldo and co.

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#5 Exploiting the space left by Real Madrid's fullbacks

It may all depend on how Marcelo fares against Mo Salah

Let's start with the most obvious way that Liverpool can exploit Real Madrid. In Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, the Reds have two of the most lethal wingers in world football. On the other hand, Dani Carvajal and Marcelo are two of the most effective fullbacks.

Zinedine Zidane likes to charge his fullbacks up the field and join them in the attack. Real Madrid's front three often get compact to create space for the fullbacks to overlap. Marcelo and Carvajal do that brilliantly but in doing so, leave a lot to be desired defensively.

The space vacated by the two fullbacks is often targeted by Real Madrid's opponents. The majority of the goals that Real Madrid concede arrive due to the acres of space available to the opposition wingers provided by the surging Madrid fullbacks. And inarguably, Liverpool are the most well-equipped team to take an advantage of this.

It is safe to say that Real Madrid's success against Liverpool hinges on the performance of Marcelo and Dani Carvajal.

#4 Counter in numbers

Liverpool can be said as the most effective side in world football in counter-attacks

As mentioned in the previous point, Real Madrid rely a lot on their fullbacks going forward and a major chunk of their goals come from crosses and smart wing play. In doing so, Real Madrid often lack balance in their structure which affects them as soon as they lose possession.

Due to the dependence on crosses, Real often crowd one wing to create the perfect chance to put the ball into the box. This disrupts the system and because of two high flying fullbacks, the opposition gets time and space to counter.

Also, Zidane's men often leave too big a gap between the midfield and defence lines and hence lack compactness when defending counter attacks. Tomorrow, Liverpool will need to counter effectively and incisively to make the most of these aspects and hurt Real Madrid.

Liverpool arguably possess the best set of players for a counter-attacking style of football. With Roberto Firmino dropping deep to regain possession and creating spaces for Salah and Mane, Real Madrid will be in for a long night if they allow their opponents to counter swiftly.

#3 Targeting Casemiro

Casemiro can be targeted when in possession

While Casemiro is crucial to this Real Madrid side for his off the ball work, he is equally susceptible to making mistakes when in possession of it. The Brazilian defensive midfielder is an expert in ball retention but his poor first touch along with an absence of positional awareness has cost Real Madrid dearly in recent seasons.

Liverpool must target and press Casemiro incessantly. The Brazilian is prone to making mistakes and is not that much effective with his passing. He tends to get pressurized when pressed in numbers and that is one area where Liverpool can exploit the reigning champions.

It is his ineffectiveness against pressing sides that led Zinedine Zidane to take him off against Juventus at halftime and drop him for the second leg against Bayern Munich. But Casemiro is all but sure to start tomorrow in Kiev which may present Liverpool with a chance to target the midfielder and create clear-cut goal-scoring chances.

#2 Interchanging positions for Firmino and Salah

The duo must show fluidity to trouble Real Madrid

Though Mohamed Salah has wrecked havoc this season by dominating the inside right channel - a space between the fullback and the centre back, he has often failed to track back and support his right back.

The period in the two legs against Manchester City in the quarterfinals where City dominated were an example where David Silva and Leroy Sane tried to outnumber Trent Alexander-Arnold on Liverpool's right side. At that time, Salah was stationed on the halfway line.

Real Madrid will try to use this tactic with Toni Kroos looking to combine with Marcelo to get past Arnold and put in troubling crosses into the box. A ploy that Liverpool can use is to have a fluid system where Firmino and Salah can change positions.

This can work for Jurgen Klopp, offensively and defensively. Without the ball, Firmino can track Marcelo's run and keep him in check. And offensively, during counters, Salah will then get an opportunity to run straight at Sergio Ramos who has been found out in recent times when up against pace merchants.

#1 Deploying a high midfield line

Kroos and Modric must be pressed high up the field by Liverpool

Real Madrid lost heavily to Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus in the Champions League this season. Both these losses came due to the opposition pressing them centrally or on the flanks. Spurs did it from the midfield with a 3-5-1-1 formation whereas Juventus targeted Real Madrid's flanks.

Both strategies bore fruit as Real Madrid were taken apart on the night. Liverpool can replicate the exact plan by deploying a high midfield line. Without the ball, the Reds must shift to a 4-5-1 formation where the midfield three must look to press Modric and Kroos and the wingers keeping Real Madrid's fullbacks in check.

A lot of Real Madrid's good attacking work come from the left. Gegenpressing, when the ball arrives on the wing or targeting Casemiro with a unified press from the forwards, can lead to Real Madrid losing possession. It is safe to say that shutting down Real Madrid's left wing can completely shut down Real Madrid.

And for this strategy to work, the trio of Henderson, Milner and Wijnaldum will have to be on the front foot from the word go as they were against AS Roma and Manchester City. Giving as less time on the ball to the likes of Kroos and Modric as possible will help Liverpool keep the midfield maestros away from dictating the game.