May 28 was the date chosen for one of the most important matches of the year in terms of soccer: the final of the Champions League. 32 teams started the journey and only two have made it to this Saturday’s big event.
Liverpool and Real Madrid will face each other at the Stade de France, repeating a final we experienced four years ago. Back then, Cristiano Ronaldo and Zidane’s Real Madrid dominated Europe. But now, the English team seems to be the favorite. Who will win the Champions League 2022?
Liverpool and Salah are out for revenge
Despite the fact that it has been four years since the last final played between the two teams, Liverpool is hungry for revenge after what happened in Kyiv. It was in 2018 when Liverpool and Real Madrid faced each other in a match that would end with a total score of 3-1.
All this despite the fact that Madrid and England met again in the quarterfinals of the Champions League 2021. A 3-1 win for Los Blancos in Madrid and a 0-0 draw left Jurgen Klopp’s side out of the semifinals.
But above all, the desire for revenge is personalized in one of the star players of the ‘Reds’. This is Mohamed Salah, a player who is already acknowledged to be motivated for this match after having to be substituted due to injury in the 2018 final.
The Egyptian is, along with Mané, the great attacking threat of a Liverpool that had saved the European Cup in 2019 after beating Tottenham 0-2 at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Now it remains to be seen if they manage to defeat a Real Madrid side that comes into this clash on the back of some spectacular knockout stages.
They come to the clash with their full team, except for the doubts of Thiago Alcántara and Fabinho in midfield, although it seems that they will make it. In addition to the great attacking threats, they have one of the best defenders in Virgil van Dijk and the precise crosses of Alexander-Arnold.
Real Madrid aiming for Champions League No. 14
Real Madrid has an idyll with the European Cup and that is something that was again demonstrated in this edition. Their path to the final has not been at all easy, leaving the best teams of the old continent out of the competition.
Clubs such as PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City were eliminated from the most coveted competition. But what characterized the white team this time were their impressive comebacks.
The team coached by Carlo Ancelotti has Benzema as its main threat. But alongside him will be players with a lot of experience and finals already won.
In fact, Real Madrid won this competition in 2014 and 2016 (vs Atlético de Madrid), 2017 (vs Juventus), and 2018 (vs Liverpool). It is by far the team with the most European Cup titles, with 13 ‘Orejonas’ in its trophy cabinets. Will Saturday 28 be the key date to obtain the 14th?
For the moment, the ‘whites’ do not arrive at the match as favorites. But the truth is that neither did they do so in their clashes against the best teams in Europe.
The road to the final has been much more complicated than that of their opponents, who faced teams like Inter Milan, Benfica, or Villarreal. Now, it remains to be seen whether Real Madrid will put the finishing touch to their spectacular tournament or whether Liverpool will lift their 7th Champions League.
