The day has come for Real Madrid and the team has one objective firmly in its sight – to lift the Decimocuarta. The Whites have once again reached a Champions League final, their fifth since 2014, after a gruelling road, which has seen the side produce epic comebacks to knock out PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City (9pm CET). The Stade de France will be the scene for the match and will see two sides that boast 19 European Cups between them go head-to-head (13 for Madrid and 6 for the Premier League side).
Carlo Ancelotti has named the following squad for Saturday's Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool at the Stade de France as no player is missing:
REAL MADRID SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Courtois, Lunin, Fuidias.
Forwards: Carvajal, E. Militão, Alaba, Vallejo, Nacho, Marcelo, F. Mendy.
Midfielders: Kroos, Modrić, Casemiro, Valverde, Lucas V., D. Ceballos, Isco, Camavinga.
Forwards: Hazard, Benzema, Asensio, Jović, Bale, Vini Jr., Rodrygo, Mariano.
Madrid stand just 90 minutes away for achieving European glory, but Ancelotti’s men must first overcome one final hurdle in Paris. The Whites have a good record in the French capital, having previously lifted the Primera and Octava.
After clinching the club’s 35th LaLiga title, Real Madrid now face their 17th European Cup final. This will be the third time they take on Liverpool, making this the most repeated final match in the competition’s history, with both sides claiming victory on one occasion. In the last Champions League final between these two clubs in 2018, Madrid clinched the Decimotercera. The madridistas boast an impressive record in European Finals, where they have emerged victorious on seven occasions, with a fine success rate (13 out of 16, more than 80%).
“The club’s history has driven us in moments of difficulty and that’s why we deserve to be in the final”, said Ancelotti. The Italian, who is the first coach to reach five European Cup finals, will be looking to Benzema to inspire his side. The Frenchman has had a sensational season and is the top goal scorer in the Champions League this season with 15 goals”.
Liverpool: The Whites face one of the greatest teams in the competition of the European Cup. Liverpool reached the final having topped Group B and knocked out Inter Milan (last 16), Benfica (quarter-finals) and Villarreal (semi-finals). Jürgen Klopp’s men have had a superb Champions League campaign and boast the best record in the competition (10 wins, 1 draw, 0 defeats). The Reds pose a real threat in attack and Salah (8 goals), Firmino and Mané (both with 5) are the team’s top scorers.
Previous meetings: This will be the ninth meeting between Real Madrid and Liverpool in the European Cup. History narrowly favours the Whites – 4 wins, 1 draw and 3 defeats – with the madridistas winning four of their last five clashes. Real Madrid will be looking to write another chapter in the club’s European Cup history books this evening and they stand just one win away from clinching the Decimocuarta.
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