The Champions League reaches its final chapter this Saturday (28), when Liverpool (England) and Real Madrid (Spain) compete, starting at 16:00 (Brasilia time) at the Stade de France, on the outskirts of Paris (France), the decision of the current edition of the main competition of clubs of the Old Continent. And like every decision, this one will have its protagonists, on and off the field.
???#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/SJved8WjG7
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 26, 2022
Occupying the position of greatest champion in the history of the competition (with 13 victories), the Spanish team arrives with a lot of morale for another final of Champions. And the opponent will be the team against which he won his last continental title, on May 26, 2018 at the Olympic stadium in Kiev (Ukraine).
On that occasion, Madrid won 3-1, being led by French coach Zinédine Zidane and having as a great highlight the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo. After the conquest CR7 left Real Madrid, which just now returns to a Champions League final.
The presence of the current Spanish champion can be credited to some characters in particular. The first is coach Carlo Ancelotti. With a previous stint in command of the Merengues, in which he won a Champions (he has also won the competition twice with Milan), the Italian has shown once again that, in addition to being a great strategist, he is a great squad manager.
? Carlo Ancelotti will become the first man to coach in five European Cup finals – and possibly the first to win four…#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/w6xzsxcoTC
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 20, 2022
It is true that Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer in the Madrid team, but managing a Real with stars of the caliber of Benzema, Courtois, Alaba, Eden Hazard, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and the Brazilians Marcelo and Casemiro is always a great challenge. . However, this season the Italian coach showed another great skill, that of developing young values.
The biggest example is the Brazilian Vinícius Júnior, who left the reserve condition with a few minutes on the field to become one of the great names of the Spanish team (pointed by many as the best Brazilian player in the world). Despite not yet having become a great finisher, the striker went on to form with Frenchman Benzema (top scorer of the current edition of the competition with 15 goals) one of the most lethal attacking duos in football today.
? up for Benzema + Vinícius Jr this season ?#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/3boU4pZtW9
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 18, 2022
Chance of rematch
If for Real the final is a chance to further expand its hegemony in the Champions League, for Liverpool it is the opportunity to draw with Milan for the second greatest champion in the competition’s history (with seven titles). In addition, the Beatles’ home team is motivated to return the defeat in the final of the 2017/2018 season (which ended in a 3-1 Spanish triumph).
With hope in their hearts. ❤️
Liverpool sights set on the seventh UEFA Champions League trophy ??@LFC x #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/3PkcXTMnu5
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 26, 2022
This desire for revenge is made clear in a statement by striker Salah at a press conference this week. “I’m motivated to the rafters. Especially because of what happened last time”, said the Egyptian in reference to the fact that he left that match in the first half after being badly fouled by Spanish defender Sergio Ramos, who now defends PSG (France).
The expectation is now to cap a splendid season, in which Liverpool have already taken home the FA Cup and League Cup trophies. For this, the Reds rely too much on the work of German Jürgen Klopp, who, along with Spaniard Pep Guardiola, is considered one of the best coaches in the world.
Klopp is considered one of the main references of contemporary teams, who try to somehow emulate the Gegenpressinggame proposal based on maintaining continuous pressure on the opponent to recover the ball as quickly as possible.
The normal one ☕️#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/OS6GSJblby
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 26, 2022
If Real has its stars, Liverpool also has great names in football today, such as Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson and Dutch defender Van Dijk. However, the great strength of the team is in its players in front, who are notable for their constant movement, for the ability to create plays and for scoring many goals. The Egyptian Salah and the Senegalese Sadio Mané are the great exponents of the position, but the Colombian Luis Díaz, who arrived at the beginning of the year, has been shining a lot, showing that he can unbalance if he is called upon.
Third final between Real and Liverpool
The grandeur of the match is also evident when considering the fact that this is the third Champions League final between Liverpool and Real. If on May 26, 2018, the Merengues won, in the decision of the 1980/1981 season, at Parc des Princes, in Paris, full-back Alan Kennedy scored the solitary goal that took the Reds to the top of the Old Continent.
#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/bYeZOBdB6i
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 17, 2022
