When the final whistle blows in Paris on Saturday night, there will be a total of 20 European Cup/Champions League titles between Liverpool and Real Madrid. The only question is whether it will be Real with 14 or Liverpool with seven.
No two clubs have faced off in a European Cup final more than Liverpool and Real Madrid, with 2022 set to be their third meeting on the grandest club stage of them all. Both teams retain familiar faces since the 2018 UCL final — when Real prevailed 3-1 — albeit with some key misses; Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos have moved on since their glorious night in Kyiv, whereas Loris Karius, the man whose two blunders cost Liverpool the title, has been reduced to the fifth-choice goalkeeper for the Reds.
Prior to 2018, Real and Liverpool faced off for the ultimate prize in the 1981 final, which was also held in Paris, although the stadium was the Parc des Princes and not this season’s venue of the Stade de France. Almost 32 years to the day, it was Liverpool who came out on top in the City of Love. Will history repeat itself or will it be Real’s turn for revenge and a return to the pinnacle of European football? Here are the keys to victory that hold all the answers.
Klopp versus Ancelotti
Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti are no strangers to each other, having clashed multiple times in the past Liverpool FC
Both Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Anceotti have a ton of experience behind them and their tactical battle is set to be more like a chess match. Ancelotti’s Real have shown that they do not mind being under the pump, absorbing pressure and finding a weakness in their opposition on the break to draw blood. Klopp’s Liverpool, on the other hand, have relentlessness baked into their DNA, and will attack and press from the first minute. One area where Liverpool may have the edge is zonal marking, something Real have not been comfortable against, as evident in their 4-0 thrashing by arch-rivals Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu earlier this year.
Trent Alexander-Arnold versus Vinicius Jr.
Vincius Jr. has been a revelation this season, but will have to be at his best against Liverpool’s marauding right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold TT archives
Vinicius Jr. has had a breakthrough season for Los Blancos, contributing far more than in previous campaigns. His pace and dribbling prowess will be a headache for Alexander-Arnold, whose own attacking forays could leave plenty of space for the Real winger to exploit during transitions. The flip side to this battle on the flanks puts a lot of responsibility on Vinicius to show a good defensive work rate, lest Alexander-Arnold create an overload on Liverpool’s right flank. There are no two opinions about the quality of TAA’s crossing, and should Vinicius not get back to defend on a regular basis, Real’s defence will have their hands full with crosses into the box all night long.
Benzema taking on the Liverpool centre-backs
Karim Benzema should prove elusive as always, this time for Liverpool’s centre-backs TT archives
Karim Benzema is enjoying the season of his life, having bailed out Real this season on more occasions than they can count. The French striker is a centre-back’s nightmare because he never runs right at them. Instead, he always enters the box from unconventional positions, making him almost impossible to mark. His aerial game has come up in leaps and bounds in the last few seasons, and his general intelligence on the ball means something invariably happens when he is in possession. Should Virgil van Dijk not start the final because of injury, Liverpool’s centre-back duo of Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate will need to develop a level of understanding that they have not displayed yet to keep Benzema in check.
The midfield battle
If Thiago Alcantara does not play, Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson will have to take up more responsibility in midfield TT archives
The Real Madrid midfield is packed with world-class players who have been playing together for so long that their names roll off the tongue almost simultaneously: Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric. Real’s midfield could dominate if Thiago Alcantara is ruled out of the final, depriving Liverpool of passing tempo and a lynchpin to dictate the game. Thiago’s potential absence will require Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to step up their game to prevent Modric and Co. from calling the shots. Henderson may also be entrusted by Klopp to help create a numerical supremacy in the middle for Liverpool whenever Modric goes to take up the number 10 position behind Benzema. All this means more work for Thiago’s likely replacement, Naby Keita, as well as for Luis Diaz, who might have to come inside from his preferred left channel to influence the game.
The Liverpool frontline
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have been in fantastic form this season TT archives
Liverpool’s wealth of attacking options have mostly been on prolific form this season. Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have been scoring serially while Diogo Jota and January-signing Diaz have delivered when called upon. With Salah wreaking havoc as usual down the right, Klopp has opted for Diaz to assume a wider role on the opposite side, with Mane playing through the middle as a pure number nine. The Real defence are used to defending against a conventional front three and should not be exposed too often, unless Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson can open up spaces with their overlaps. A crucial factor in the contest between Liverpool’s attack and Real’s defence will be how David Alaba and Ferland Mendy double up on Salah, since the Egyptian has made it a habit to wriggle free of multiple man-marking systems and still have a decisive impact on the game.
Golden moments
Gareth Bale was the hero with two goals, including one of a bicycle kick, the last time these two teams met in the UCL final UEFA
When titans clash, the outcome often comes down to a moment of brilliance or a moment of recklessness. On Saturday night, both teams have enough in their ranks to come up with the former, but are not immune to the latter either. In the 2018 final, it was Gareth Bale whose stunning overhead kick grabbed the headlines for the right reasons while Karius’s howlers drew attention for the wrong reasons. Whose turn will it be four years later? The time to find out is upon us.