Liverpool vs Real Madrid predictions and match preview for Saturday’s UEFA Champions League Final. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as Los Blancos target victory in Paris.
| Date | Saturday 28th May 2022 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | Stade de France |
| Competition | UEFA Champions League Final |
Liverpool vs Real Madrid Preview
Liverpool and Real Madrid meet in a European Cup Final for the third time this Saturday with Los Blancos hoping to repeat their feat in Kyiv four years ago when Gareth Bale’s brace and Loris Karius’ howlers helped Madrid get their hands on the trophy yet again. They will start this weekend’s game as slight underdogs but with all the confidence in the world after a miraculous run to the Final.
Los Blancos couldn’t really have had it much tougher in terms of the draw. They’ve beaten the defending French, English and European champions to get to this stage, although only after some extraordinary late drama. Real Madrid have been on the brink of elimination in all three knockout ties but have found salvation thanks to the brilliance of Karim Benzema and super sub Rodrygo.
They certainly won’t be panicking if they fall behind in this game, although it is true that all of their comeback wins have come at the Bernabeu. There have been large periods in this run where they’ve been outplayed by the opposition, but it would also be doing them a wild disservice to suggest they have merely got lucky in making it this far. Aside from the obviously outstanding Benzema, Madrid still have raw quality from midfield in the form of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric who were decisive in the victory over Liverpool in last season’s competition. They’ve also now got a crop of youngsters who provide a sense of energy and purpose which has helped swing things in their favour in the recent victories over Chelsea and Manchester City.
Liverpool are an outstanding side though and for a while last weekend, it looked as though they were on the cusp of completing the third leg of an unprecedented quadruple. City’s fightback meant Liverpool ultimately missed out on the Premier League crown, despite only losing two games all season in the league.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have got to pick themselves up in order to go again here and are certainly at a slight disadvantage having been involved in so many important games in recent weeks, whilst Real Madrid have been able to go through almost a mini pre-season having wrapped up their domestic title several weeks ago. Liverpool have had a considerably simpler path to the Final though, seeing off Inter Milan, Benfica and Villarreal to reach this point.
Head to Head
- Last 6 Meetings: 4 Real Madrid Wins, 1 Liverpool Win, 1 Draw.
- Real Madrid have won 4 of the last 5 meetings.
- They were 3-1 aggregate winners at the Quarter-Final stage last season.
- They were 3-1 winners in the 2018 Champions League Final with Liverpool winning 1-0 the other time the clubs met in the European Cup Final in 1981 in the first of a series of key meetings in recent decades.
Team News
Liverpool are monitoring the fitness of Thiago and Fabinho heading into this but hope to be able to start them both.
Real Madrid have been missing David Alaba to injury but the Austrian is likely to start here. The only question is whether Fede Valverde or Rodrygo starts on the right flank.
Possible Lineups
Liverpool: Alisson – Robertson, Van Dijk, Konate, Alexander-Arnold – Thiago, Fabinho, Henderson – Diaz, Mane, Salah (4-3-3)
Real Madrid: Courtois – Mendy, Alaba, Militao, Carvajal – Kroos, Casemiro, Modric – Vini, Benzema, Valverde (4-3-3)
Liverpool vs Real Madrid Predictions
Score Prediction: Liverpool 1-2 Real Madrid (After Extra Time)
Much will depend on Liverpool’s energy levels here and whether they can play with their usual intensity for 90 or potentially 120 minutes after such a busy period. On paper, Liverpool are the stronger all-round team but the longer this goes on, the more you would start to fancy Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti will most likely look to the likes of Rodrygo and Eduardo Camavinga off the bench once more and that injection of energy could help the Spanish side clinch this in Extra Time.
PLEASE NOTE – Our UCL predictions are not betting tips. No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
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