Real Madrid will be bidding to lift their third straight Champions League title when they square off against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in what promises to be a mouthwatering clash in Kiev on Saturday evening.
Zinedine Zidane’s side are the only team in the history of the modern Champions League era to win back to back trophies, and they could cement their position as one of the greatest ever modern European teams if they beat the Reds in the Ukrainian capital city this weekend.
With arch rivals Barcelona winning both La Liga and the Spanish Copa del Rey, the Champions League represents the only chance of silverware for Real’s French gaffer. Los Blancos finished third in La Liga, wrapping up a disappointing campaign with a 2-2 draw away at Villarreal last weekend. Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, both potentially key figures in Kiev, put Real 2-0 ahead before a late fightback allowed Villarreal to pick up a point.
Liverpool sealed 4th place and a spot in next season’s Champions League by easing past Brighton on the final day of the Premier League season. If they had lost to the Seagulls and Chelsea had beaten Newcastle, Jurgen Klopp’s side would’ve been in the unenviable position of having to win the CL in order to participate in the tournament next season. As it stands, they don’t have that burden on their minds, and have also had the benefit of an extra week’s rest in comparison to Real in the buildup to this mega event.
The Spanish side have taken the hard path to this season’s final, first emerging from a “Group of Death” that also contained Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur, and then beating Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Bayern Munich in consecutive knockout ties.
Liverpool had an easier group, topping one that also included Sevilla, Spartak and Maribor. Their knockout opponents were Porto, Man City and Roma, in that order, with their performance against Pep Guardiola’s side over two legs the highlight of their campaign.
Real Madrid have already lost twice in Europe this season, once to Spurs at Wembley, and the other to Juve at home. However they have the habit of producing the goods when required, and a look at the Champions League odds confirms that Zinedine Zidane’s men are favourites for this clash (8/11 in comparison to LFC’s 23/17 at the time of writing), so all Champions League lovers will enjoy watching the game for sure! To bet on Liverpool or Real Madrid, it’s a hard choice, and it will be interesting to see the latest odds online for the winner of this year’s Champions League final.
Liverpool are in their first Champions League final since 2007, and will be without the services of Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for this clash.
Recent form guide
Liverpool 4-0 Brighton
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
Roma 4-2 Liverpool
Liverpool 0-0 Stoke
Liverpool 5-2 Roma
Villarreal 2-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid 6-0 Celta Vigo
Sevilla 3-2 Real Madrid
Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid 2-1 Leganes
Real Madrid v Liverpool kicks off in Kiev at 21.45 EEST on Saturday May 26, 2018.