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On Saturday (May 28), the fashion capital city of France will come to a standstill when Liverpool square off against Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have brushed aside Inter Milan, Benfica, and Villarreal in the knockout rounds to reach the final in Paris.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, have slain French giants Paris Saint-Germain, reigning European champions Chelsea, and English champions Manchester City to book their tickets in the final.
The two European giants met at this stage four years prior, in Kyiv. Real Madrid inflicted a 3-1 defeat upon Liverpool that night, with Gareth Bale snatching headlines with a marvelous overhead kick.
Jurgen Klopp’s battle-tested warriors will look to settle the scores this week by winning their seventh European Cup at the expense of the tournament’s royalty.
Will the men from Merseyside be successful or will the Whites once again persevere with their unmatched experience and quality?
The answer could very well be determined by the outcome of some key individual battles. Without further ado, let us check out five key battles that could have a massive bearing on the outcome of Saturday’s grand event:
#5 Luka Modric vs Fabinho
The battle for midfield supremacy is set to take place between Real Madrid’s Luka Modric and Liverpool’s Fabinho. Modric, of course, enjoys more freedom than Fabinho, with the Croat possessing the license to roam anywhere he wants to. The Brazilian, on the other hand, primarily hovers above the backline, always on the lookout for dangerous passes.
Being the team’s primary creative outlet in midfield, Modric is set to square off against Fabinho more than once. If he manages to stretch the Brazil international and exploit the little pockets of space left behind, Madrid could be in for a productive night.
However, if Fabinho stops Modric from carrying the ball into threatening areas, Liverpool would nullify Madrid’s biggest threat from midfield. An unpredictable tussle awaits.
#4 Sadio Mane vs Eder Militao
Liverpool ace Sadio Mane is the perfect amalgamation of perseverance, commitment, and selflessness. He fights for every ball, rarely loses his cool, looks to bring his teammates into play, and does everything Jurgen Klopp asks of him. Sadio Mane may not be the most traditional forward in Klopp’s team, but he remains an undroppable player.
Following Luis Diaz’s acquisition, Mane has primarily played down the middle, but he has not allowed the positional switch to tamper with his output. He finished the 2021-22 Premier League campaign with 16 goals, which serves as a testament to his versatility. He has scored five goals in the Champions League, including twice against Villarreal in the semifinals.
Real Madrid centre-back Eder Militao is set to be the one tasked to keep Mane from stretching his legs. Worryingly for Real Madrid, Militao has not been in the best of form lately, committing silly errors and occasionally giving the ball away. Unless he finds a way to put his best foot forward, he could be in for a long night against the Senegalese.
#3 Vinicius Junior vs Trent Alexander-Arnold
On Saturday, the world will witness two of its most revered young footballers square off on Los Blancos’ left flank. The battle between left-winger Vinicius Junior and right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold could be one for the ages.
Vinicius Junior has easily been Los Merengues’ most improved player this season. Without compromising on his flamboyance, he has improved his decision-making in the final third of the pitch. He has emerged as the Whites’ second-highest goal contributor, pitching in with 21 goals and 20 assists across all competitions.
Keeping up with Vinicius is a difficult job, but Trent Alexander-Arnold just might have the skill set to pull it off. He is fast, loves to put in a shift, and could put pressure on Vinicius by taking the fight to Madrid.
Alexander-Arnold’s knack for creating goalscoring opportunities (16 assists in the Premier League and Champions League) is well documented. We are eager to see if the Englishman manages to maintain his attacking output while dealing with the threat of the Brazilian.
#2 Mohamed Salah vs David Alaba
Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah is one of the most versatile forwards in Europe. He is a dependable finisher, contributes heavily to the team’s build-up play, and also creates opportunities for his teammates.
The 29-year-old ended the 2021-22 Premier League campaign with the Golden Boot (23 goals) as well as the Playmaker award (13 assists). Harry Kane is the only other player to have achieved this feat in the Premier League in the 21st century.
Salah has been quite prolific in the Champions League as well, scoring eight times and providing two assists in 12 appearances.
Real Madrid centre-back David Alaba will look to keep Salah under wraps in the Champions League final. The former Bayern Munich defender has recently recovered from adductor problems.
Considering that he has not played any matches since April, it might be difficult for him to keep up with a player of Salah’s caliber.
The Egypt international was unable to carry on in the 2017-18 Champions League final after sustaining a shoulder injury following a clash with Sergio Ramos. He has publicly expressed his desire to avenge Liverpool’s defeat this season (via Caught Offside). It will be interesting to see how he fares with the weight of expectations on his shoulders.
Salah tweeted on May 5:
"We have a score to settle."
#1 Karim Benzema vs Virgil van Dijk
The most in-form forward going up against arguably the best defender in the world — the battle between Karim Benzema and Virgil van Dijk could be an absolute cracker.
Karim Benzema’s Champions League performances this season, especially in the knockout rounds, have been nothing short of legendary. He drew a blank in the Round of 16 first-leg against PSG; from then on out, it has been one masterclass after another.
He scored a hat-trick against PSG in the second leg to knock them out. He then scored another treble in the quarter-final first-leg against Chelsea. In the return leg, his goal took Real Madrid over the line against the reigning European champions.
He also scored thrice against Manchester City over two legs in the semifinals to help Madrid secure a 6-5 aggregate win.
The France international is only a couple of goals away from equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of scoring the most goals (17) in a Champions League campaign.
The responsibility of stopping him from getting there lies upon one Virgil van Dijk. The Dutchman might be able to track Benzema's movement thanks to his intelligence, and should be able to outjump him during aerial duels. Van Dijk looks destined to be Benzema’s biggest challenge this season and the Frenchman would need to produce something special to come out on top.
