This mouth-watering clash will take place on 28th May. The venue of this epic clash is Stade de France which last hosted the finals of Euro 2017. The reds can boast of a very strong and competitive team before the game. But, judging by Los Blancos’s fate in this competition; the reds will not dare to put any foot wrong. Liverpool’s boss, Jurgen Klopp, has declared Madrid to be the ‘massive favourites’, going into this game. After the bitter experience of the previous champions league final, the Reds will play with all guns blazing to settle their scores. The veteran coach of Los Blancos had already defeated the reds in the 2007 Champions League final in Greece. It is still considered one of the best ‘revenge’ matches in the champions league. On the 28th, Ancelloti will look to repeat the feat once again.

Date, Time, and Where to watch the Champions League finals?

The Champions League final at the Stade de France is scheduled for 28th May 2022, 12:30 AM (IST). To watch the match live, Indian fans can tune into Sony tv networks, while for online streaming the best platform will be either Sony Liv or Jio TV.

Whereas for the British fans, the scheduled kick-off time is at 8 pm (GMT) on Wednesday, 28th May 2022. It will be televised live on BT Sport networks. People in America can watch the match on CBS networks or stream on Paramount+.

Line-Up Predictions:

Two of the biggest football giants are going to square off in the Champions League final in France. As such, there will be heavy preparation with the team lineups and players.

Liverpool:

• Liverpool will be sweating on the fitness of Roberto Firmino. The Brazillian striker picked up a foot injury during the finals of the FA Cup back in April. After a frustrating 4 weeks on the sidelines, the Brazilian is yet to start proper training with the team.
• Divock Origi who was ill for a short duration was also available in the semifinal clash against Villarreal.
• Other players to be on the list of recent injuries are Curtis Jones and Kostas Tsimikas. However, both of them have recovered fully and are ready to go all guns blazing in the champions league final.

Probable XI:

Robertson, Van Dijk, Konate, Alexander-Arnold, Alcantara, Fabinho, Keita/Henderson, Mane, Firminho, Salah.

Real Madrid:

• Unlike Liverpool, things are not that rosy for Los Blancos. Many players of real are either on the injury list or have a dry patch in their performance
• The first player who’s full recovery will be a key to success for real is David Alaba. The Austrian was not able to play the full 90 mins and had to be subbed during the semifinal.
• Along with David Alaba, Eder Militao has also some minor injury concerns. Although,  the injury does not seem to be that precarious yet the physio will try to bring him to 100% fit.
• Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale & Luka Jovic are set to miss this iconic final due to injury.
• However, it is not the injury that Madrid is concerned with. It’s also the recent form of certain players, primarily the form of their ‘golden trio’ in midfield. The three of them- Kroos, Casemiro and Modric did not have a very good game at Bernabeu. Ancelloti will be closely monitoring their form as they might prove to be the difference in the finals.

Probable XI:

Courtois, Carvajal, Militao, Nacho/Alaba, F.Mendy, Casemiro, Kroos/Rodrygo, Valverde/Asensio, Modric, V.Junior, Benzema.

Players to watch out for:

Liverpool:

For the reds, the important man will be Sadio Mane. The Senegalese forward has been in sensational touch this year. He’s already tied with Didier Drogba as the most number of goals by an African in this tournament. He was even instrumental to score the opener for Liverpool back in 2018, but his team lost. Another player who will be excited about this clash is Mo Salah. The Egyptian king has a ‘score’ to settle with Real. On that occasion, Salah was injured and had to be substituted out. Jamie Carragher, a former Liverpool legend insists that the Egyptian winger will look for his “revenge” after what happened four years ago. Another player who might prove to be a catalyst for Liverpool is L.Diaz. The Columbian has been in sensational form after making a move from Porto. In the champions league final, he might show wonders given the form he is currently in.

Real Madrid:

For Madrid, all eyes will be on Karim Benzema who has been in impeccable form. The French striker has a ‘champion’ luck so far in this competition. He has managed to score in every match that Madrid has played. He scored the decider in the epic comeback of Madrid in the semifinals. Another force to reckon with is Rodrygo. The Brazilian single-handedly put his team into the title race when he headed 2 goals in the extra time. In the finals also the Brazilian will be tasked with the job of seeing his team through. Madrid has not only managed to score at an astonishing rate but they also have been able to save goals at crunch moments. This was due to the herculean effort of Thibaut Courtois in the goal. The Belgian goalkeeper has been termed ‘the octopus’ due to his efforts. In the finals as well, he will be required to make as many good saves as possible to keep the opponents at bay.

Champions League Scoreline:

When it’s the night of the champions, most of the predictions go wayward. Both the teams are in the form of their life. Madrid has always been a powerhouse in this competition while Liverpool’s recent growth in the UCL has been impressive. There will be not much difference in goals to separate these 2 teams. Hence, a scoreline of 1-0 or maybe 2-0 is possible.

Also Read: Manchester United vs Chelsea: Highlights, Scores and Much More

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The match itself had a rocky beginning due to some fans jumping the barricade and entering the Stade de France. This caused a delay in the kick-off. However, the order was soon restored, and the closing ceremony began with a series of hits by pop sensation Camila Cabello. This set the mood for the grand affair that was about to take place, and at the time, it was the single most-watched event across the globe.

Highlights

The match began with a dominating Liverpool side employing their tried and tested Gegenpressing to keep Real Madrid players at bay. Karim Benzema was tightly guarded as he was pinpointed to be the main threat after his ravishing performance in the tournament. On the wings, Vincius Jr and Valverde tried to get things going, but they too were tightly marked by Trent Alexander Arnold and Andy Robertson. For a while, it was clear Liverpool certainly had the upper hand in the match and was dictating the flow quite easily. Whereas Real Madrid looked laid back and was a little slow to start.

Liverpool, with forwards Mane and Salah, looked like a threat from the moment they stepped on the field. With Luiz Dias and Thiago controlling the midfield brilliantly. Mane, Diaz, and Salah all had clear chances at the goal. However, one of the main deciding factors behind Real Madrid’s win was Thibaut Courtois. Courtois was in an inspirational form where one could even say that he single-handedly saved Real Madrid from the brink of defeat. He completed the match with an astounding 9 saves, which were the most saves ever in a Champions League final. Owing to Thibaut Courtois’ impressive display, Real Madrid slowly but surely saw themselves gain back the momentum and rhythm. Just before halftime, Benzema seemed to open the scoring for Real Madrid only for it to get disallowed for offside. However, the incident was still marred with controversy as the offside call seemed questionable because the ball had come off the foot of Ibrahima Konate and then Fabinho to fall into Benzema’s path. Nonetheless, both teams went back to their dressing rooms for halftime with the score perfectly balanced at halftime.

The second half similarly began with Liverpool trying to dominate the game. However, this time Real was ready to pounce back at any opportunity. Liverpool was playing a high line which meant the defense was compromised for Liverpool. A swift counterattack would certainly prove lethal in that scenario, and at the 59th minute, Liverpool was caught off guard, and Valverde made a spectacular run inside the box to find Vinicius at the far-post with an unstoppable low cross. In the end, a simple tap-in did the work as Vinicius wheeled away for the celebrations. We were up for another Carlo Ancellotti masterclass. Real Madrid was committed to keeping their shape and defending the goal with a low block. With late substitutions, Carlo Ancelotti looked to eat up some time on the clock, and in the end, they were victorious. A single Vinicius goal and the wall that Thibaut Courtois became helped Real Madrid lift their 14th UEFA Champions League title.

Liverpool had registered a whopping 24 shots with just 9 shots on target and no goals to show for it. Compared to that, Real Madrid had 4 shots overall with just 2 goals on target and a single goal to win the championship. A cruel heartbreak for the Liverpool players and fans alike as they failed to complete the treble and missed out on two of the biggest trophies they were a part of. This was speculated to be Sadio Mane’s last game for Liverpool as well as for Real Madrid’s Marcelo, who was fortunate enough to lift the trophy as the team captain for the last time with Real Madrid. Considering the path Real Madrid had to follow on their road to the final, beating the likes of PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City, they certainly earned their trophy for this year’s Champions League.

Also Read: Manchester City vs Real Madrid Champions league Semi-final Predictions, Team News

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