The Champions League Final will be a rematch of the 1981 final, but Liverpool and Real Madrid bear little resemblance to their predecessors. Those were the dark ages of international soccer when goals were a rarity. It was the middle of a 10-year period where there wasn’t more than one goal scored in the Champions League final.
This season, we had the highest scoring semifinal matches ever. Liverpool and AS Roma combined for an astounding 13 goals in their tie, while Bayern Munich and Real Madrid combined for seven goals in their two matches. If both teams play true to form, that could make this the highest scoring final since Liverpool last won the Champions League back in 2005.
Don't miss the Champions League Final from NSC Olympiyskiy in Kiev, Ukraine at 2:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 26, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on FOX.
Champions League Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Liverpool +203
Real Madrid +123
Draw +268
Over/Under 3 and 3.5
How they got here
At this point, it’s somewhat incredible to think that Liverpool had to qualify for the Champions League through the playoff. They had to defeat 1899 Hoffenheim in the play-in to make it to the group stage, but they have been a goal scoring machine since then.
Liverpool poured in the goals in the group stage, finding the back of the net 23 times in their six matches. They followed up that performance by beating Porto 5-0 on the road in the first leg of their Round of 16 bout, and then outscored Manchester City 5-1 in the quarterfinals. It looked to be another rout when they scored five goals in the first 60 minutes of their first leg with Roma, but the Italian club roared back and nearly forced extra time after scoring six times in about 105 minutes of action.
Real Madrid has had a much tougher route to the final even though their Champions League odyssey began in the group stage. They finished behind Tottenham in their group, forcing them to play one of the group winners in the Round of 16. Real was drawn with Paris Saint-Germain, meaning that one of the two favorites for this year’s tournament wouldn’t make the quarterfinals.
Although they were tested by PSG, Real was able to advance to the quarterfinals. However, they continued to receive tough draws. They faced Juventus in the quarterfinals and Bayern Munich in the semifinals, and both teams nearly came from behind in order to advance. Incredibly, the three opponents that Real faced in the knockout rounds have already won their domestic leagues, underscoring the challenge they faced.
Matchups to Watch
Both of these teams are flush with offensive firepower. For Liverpool, it’s all about the trio of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mane. Salah has been the key to it all, and his skill has fully unlocked the other two. He has proven himself as a deadly scorer and his vision and creativity have helped Firmino and Mane tremendously.
Jurgen Klopp is likely to have Liverpool attack Real Madrid’s defense on the edges. While Real’s center backs have been solid, the play of the outside backs have left something to be desired. Marcelo and Dani Carvajal have struggled, with Marcelo pushing himself into the attack and out of position often. At times it does lead to goals, but other times it leaves Real short-handed at the back.
As always, Real Madrid’s attack will run through Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is the best forward in the world by a wide margin and he has again turned it on when the team has needed it the most.
However, Zinedine Zidane has been unable to find a consistent effective complement to Ronaldo, Isco, Gareth Bale, and Karim Benzema have all been used, but none of the three have played well enough to guarantee a spot in the starting eleven.
Check back later for more coverage on the Champions League Final
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