Real Madrid will host Liverpool in the Champions League Final in Paris on May 28th. Real Madrid has pulled together an incredible path to the final while Liverpool has arguably had an easy path to the final. The two historic football clubs with two experienced managers filled with world-class players will duel it out to see who wins the 20th Champions league title between both clubs (13 for Real Madrid, 6 for Liverpool). The Champions League final match will be played in Paris. So, make sure to know all the facts and check out our Champions League betting guide.
Liverpool Statistics
The question surrounding Liverpool was whether they could win the quadruple: an FA Cup, Champions League, Premier League, and a Carabao Cup in one season. Liverpool won the Carabao Cup over Chelsea in penalties earlier in the season and will face Chelsea in the FA Cup final on May 14th. In order to win the Premier League, Liverpool will need Manchester City to drop points with three games remaining as they are behind them by 3 points.
Unfortunately, that means Manchester City is in control but credit has to go to Liverpool for the run to put them into the position to challenge them for the Premier League title. Jurgen Klopp has also led this team through a tough group stage in the Champions League facing AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, and Porto. They faced Inter in the round of 16, Benfica in the quarterfinal, and Villareal in the semifinal.
Liverpool has an incredible squad with superstars like Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk, Diogo Jota, Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander Arnold, Sadio Mane, and much more. The standout is Mohamed Salah who looks to get revenge on Real Madrid after coming off injured in 2018 final. Mohamed Salah has had an excellent season with Liverpool scoring 22 goals and 13 assists in the Premier League and 8 goals and 2 assists in the Champions League. Trent Alexander Arnold and Andrew Robertson have combined for 22 assists as full-backs in the Premier League and will play an important role in threatening the Real Madrid defense.
Liverpool is known for their fast-paced, attacking football. They have plenty of attacking options with Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz. Liverpool loves to press their opponents high up the pitch and embraces the Gegenpress (counterpress) to put the enemy under pressure. Liverpool has strengthened a lot of positions since the final in 2018 and has captured the Premier League title in 2020. They have added Thiago and Fabinho into the midfield, Alisson in goal, and Konate at the back as well as Diaz and Jota to the already strong attack since the final in 2018.
Real Madrid Statistics
Real Madrid were top of their group with Inter, Sheriff, and Shakhtar Donetsk. Real Madrid then faced PSG in the round of 16, Chelsea in the quarterfinal, and Manchester City in the semifinal. Real Madrid fans had a rollercoaster of emotions throughout these stages of the Champions League. They lost to Manchester City 4-3 and then beat Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu but it looked clear that it would be the end of their run in the Champions League heading into the 90th minute of the second leg.
It looked like an all-English (Premier League) final because they were winning 1-0 after a beautiful goal from Riyad Mahrez and 5-3 on aggregate headed into the 90th minute of the second leg. Rodrygo scored two goals in the 90th minute to bring the aggregate score to 5-5 and force extra time. In extra time, Manchester City conceded a penalty to Real Madrid which Benzema converted to make the score 3-1 and the aggregate score to 6-5.
Real Madrid, the club with the most Champions League trophies (13) has one of the best players on the planet: Karim Benzema. Karim Benzema has 26 La Liga goals and 13 Champions League goals as well as 12 assists in both competitions. In addition to Benzema, Real Madrid has pure winners in the midfield: Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Casemiro. Real Madrid is managed by Carlo Ancelotti who just became the first manager to win the title in all of the big five European leagues. Real Madrid has had success in two competitions this season: the Supercopa and La Liga and looks to capture their third trophy of the season.
Real Madrid looks completely different from the team they were just four years ago. The goalkeeper is now Courtois instead of Keylor Navas and the defense that was Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, and Raphael Varane is now replaced by Nacho, Mendy, and Eder Militao. The line will still be led by Karim Benzema but Vinicius Junior replaces Cristiano Ronaldo and it will be interesting to see if Rodrygo starts after his performance in the semifinal.
Champions League Betting Trends and Predictions
Liverpool are the favorites in the matchup against Real Madrid. Real Madrid has had a tremendous run to get to this stage but it is clear they have defensive issues and concede goals during all stages of the Champions League. Liverpool will be looking to get revenge after the 2018 Champions League Final and I think they will. It will not be an easy game but it will be an entertaining match between two historic clubs. The over/under is 2.5 and I think it will be an over.
Conclusion
After a draw with Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool will be hungry to capture the Champions League and FA cup after the Premier League looks outside of their control. Real Madrid will be focused on this game but they will struggle to limit Liverpool’s attacking presence. During this game, Liverpool will look to get revenge from 2018 final in Paris.
