Liverpool and Real Madrid meet for the third time in the definition of the highest title at European club level. They share the wins, although the 2018 defeat still weighs on the Reds’ players and manager.
That 2018 final, in which they lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in Kyiv, is still fresh in Liverpool’s memory. The mistakes of red goal Loris Karius and the early injury of Mohamed Salah, after a controversial blow with Sergio Ramos, catalyze a real revenge in which he will be the most repeated final in Champions League history.
Apart from that game in Ukraine, the two rivals had already met in the last game of the tournament in 1981, when the British won by the minimum thanks to a goal from Alan Kennedy, eight minutes from time. Precisely, it was one of the three finals that the meringues lost out of the 16 that they disputed. Of course, it was the last. From that date, they reached the last duel seven times and were victorious in each of them.
dissimilar paths
The two teams arrive with different realities. The Spanish cast had a heavy and rocky road, but which he achieved with historical returns against Paris Saint-Germain (eighth), Chelsea (fourth) and the most memorable, the duel which turned in the last minutes against Manchester City, which he beat in the complementary.
The English, on the other hand, qualified without a hitch in their three knockout rounds against Inter Milan, Portugal’s Benfica and Spain’s Villarreal. ; with a record of four wins (three of them away), a draw and the solitary defeat at Anfield against the team of Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sánchez, with the series doomed.
a revenge
A duel with an important history, since 19 Orejona titles will compete on the lawn of Saint-Denis in the French capital: 13 from the white box and six from the reds, who could lift Milan to second place if they win on the day.
But the important thing is the present. And the motivation belongs to the team that “never walks alone”, the one that wants to erase that fateful day in Kyiv four years ago. This has been acknowledged in the past by the charismatic Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.
“We are ready. We did not arrive by surprise in Paris. Since that final in 2018, we have learned how to win. I have lost a lot in my life, but Liverpool have improved. The problem is that Real Madrid does not lose the finals. I have the dream of changing that”, explained the coach who has just renewed until 2026.
Asked about the revenge that Salah wants, after this failed epilogue in Ukraine, the German explained that “it’s normal. We all lost that day, but Mo got injured early in the game. It’s normal that Mo wants to fix things. We don’t forget what happened.”
An attacking football coach, where the importance is space and intense high pressure. A style completely different from the pragmatism and experience of his colleague Carlo Ancelotti, who will play his fifth final, after winning two titles with Milan (2003 and 2007) and another with Madrid (2014). Curiously, his only defeat was against Liverpool in 2005.
“We had time to prepare well for this match, we arrived in good conditions, but I don’t know if it will be enough to win. We have to impose our virtues against a Liverpool that makes the difference through its intensity, its verticality and its individual quality. Coaches like Klopp have taken football to something new. Intensity in the matches, more pressure, more advanced teams, an advanced defensive organization. It’s something new. I don’t think I’m from an older generation,” Carletto said in the previous one.
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Source: Latercera
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
