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The UEFA Champions League final showdown is moving closer and the football fans are guaranteed a treat on Saturday as two successful teams in the history of the tournament go head-to-head.
Both the teams have been preparing tirelessly for this one game, while most other teams have drawn the curtains for the season. Saturday's match has been hyped up by statements of confidence from players of both sides and also by some others as well.
One bold claim was made by Spanish national team manager Vicente del Bosque. "I cannot find a single Liverpool player that improves Real Madrid, [not even] Salah", the 67-year-old said.
The Spaniard's comments might have been due to the extreme confidence in Los Blancos, but a look at the combined XI of the teams based on their performances in the Champions League shows that a few Liverpool players can actually get into Zinedine Zidane's team.
Goalkeeper: Keylor Navas
Real Madrid have been constantly linked with goalkeepers in the transfer market putting doubts on the future of their current number one, Keylor Navas. However, the Costa Rican has still delivered when it mattered for the Spanish giants, bar a few errors.
Liverpool's Loris Karius, on the other hand, has had a pretty decent season after he claimed the number one spot from Simon Mignolet, but the German still leaves a lot to be desired from him and is in his 'developing phase'.
With that being said, both the goalkeepers will be crucial for their respective sides in Kiev.
Full-Backs
The competition for the right-back spot is really tight. Madrid's Dani Carvajal has been in the business for quite a while and is one of the best right backs in the world. The Spaniard plays an important role in his team's attack and is also solid at the back.
However, Trent Alexander-Arnold seems to have a slight edge over his counterpart when their performances in the Champions League are compared. The 19-year-old has made nine tackles, 28 clearances and recovered the ball 61 times - all of them better than Carvajal's numbers.
The youngster also scored the first goal for Liverpool in the campaign against Hoffenheim.
Liverpool's Andy Robertson has been solid for his team and is one of their best players this season, but the Scotsman is no match for Marcelo.
The Brazilian left-back has scored three goals and assisted two in Real Madrid's Champions League campaign, showing his influence in the Spanish team's attack. Facing the 30-year-old will be Alexander-Arnold's biggest challenge on Saturday.
Robertson's runs and crosses also have the potential to cause some trouble to the Real Madrid defence.
Centre Backs
Well, this is a no-brainer. Sergio Ramos is one of the best defenders in the world and would easily walk straight into a World XI at the moment, let alone this Real Madrid-Liverpool Combined XI.
The Real Madrid captain is known for stepping up when his team needs him the most - at both ends of the pitch. And that could be the case on Saturday as well with a potential threat from the Liverpool attack lurking added to their susceptible defence.
Dejan Lovren has revived his Liverpool career very well, but is definitely no competition for Ramos.
Virgil van Dijk cost Liverpool an astronomical price of £75 million but has been worth every penny so far.
The Dutchman's arrival has seen a massive improvement in the Reds' defence; adding more stability and leadership at the back.
Madrid's Raphael Varane has played twice as much as Van Dijk and his statistics aren't bad either. But the Frenchman misses out on the spot as his counterpart plays a more crucial for his side than Varane.
Midfield
The former Bayern Munich player has had a comparatively silent Champions League campaign with just one assist. But don't judge him by his numbers.
Toni Kroos has the ability to split any defence with his passing range. Nullifying the Real Madrid midfielder is one of the things the Liverpool midfield should focus on this weekend.
Closing down Kroos would result in the reduction of supply to Cristiano Ronaldo, which in turn would make things easier for the Reds. But that is easier said than done.
Shutting down Kroos might not be enough as the German's partner Luka Modric can cause as much problems as his German partner.
Modric and Kroos are two of the best passers of the ball in the game, and their opponents cannot afford to give them free space or time at any cost.
Invalidate the two midfield maestros and Liverpool have a good chance of winning the tie on the big day.
Liverpool vice-captain James Milner is probably the most consistent and versatile player from both sides. The old-school midfielder might not be as fancy as his counterparts but surely does know how to get things done on the pitch.
Milner broke the record for the most number of assists in one Champions League season - a record that once belonged to Neymar and Wayne Rooney. And he would love to add to the tally in Kiev.
Attack
Mohamed Salah is Liverpool's best player and one of the strongest contenders for the Ballon d'Or this year. A Champions League triumph would put him in an even better position for the award and the Egyptian King will be doing everything to win it.
Salah has scored 10 goals for his side in the Champions League and might be adding to that tally in the final if the Real Madrid defence does not keep him under control. The 25-year-old against Ramos and Marcelo will definitely be a treat to watch.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a slow start to the season as he struggled to score goals in La Liga but the Portuguese forward reminded everyone of who he is by scoring 15 goals in the Champions League this campaign.
The former Manchester United player is just one goal away from matching the record for the most goals scored in a campaign by an individual held by none other than himself.
It will be intriguing to see how the Liverpool defence handles the threat posed by Ronaldo.
Salah might be Liverpool's best player overall but when it comes to Europe, Roberto Firmino wins the race. The Brazilian forward has scored as many goals as the Egyptian and is just one behind Milner in assists in the competition.
Firmino provides the perfect support for Salah and Mane to cause havoc in the opposition defence and could be one of the game-changers come this Saturday.
It won't be wrong to call him the best player of the tournament if it is Liverpool who take home the trophy from Kiev.
