One night in Paris. This is what it comes down to.
The 2021/2022 season closes on Saturday night when Real Madrid and Liverpool face-off in the Champions League final.
For the LaLiga champions, it has taken several comebacks to get here.
In the round of 16, Paris Saint-Germain led 1-0 from the first leg and even went 1-0 up at the Santiago Bernabeu.
One night in Paris. This is what it comes down to.
The 2021/2022 season closes on Saturday night when Real Madrid and Liverpool face-off in the Champions League final.
For the LaLiga champions, it has taken several comebacks to get here.
In the round of 16, Paris Saint-Germain led 1-0 from the first leg and even went 1-0 up at the Santiago Bernabeu.
And then Madrid scored three second-half goals within just 17 minutes to turn the tie on its head.
It was different in the quarter-final. Los Blancos blew a 3-1 lead at home, as Chelsea raced into a 3-0 lead at the Bernabeu. But Rodrygo and Karim Benzema struck.
Shall we also talk about how they lost 4-3 to Manchester City in the semi-final and lost 1-0 in the reverse fixture, conjured up two goals within three minutes. This forced the game into extra time, where Benzema happened again.
Will their luck run out at the last hurdle?
Their opponents will be Liverpool. The Reds have a seventh title in their sights, hoping to stop Los Blancos from lifting the trophy for a record-extending 14th time.
Jurgen Klopp’s men have dispatched Inter Milan, Benfica and Villarreal en route to the Stade de France.
Liverpool is also eyeing a Treble, after winning the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
They have been such a prolific side on the continent this season, scoring at least twice in all but one of their Champions League fixtures.
Numerous members of the current squad collected runners-up medals in 2018 after that fateful night in Kyiv against Real Madrid. Revenge is firmly on the agenda. Especially for Mohamed Salah, who was injured by Sergio Ramos in the first half and departed in tears.
Klopp records a miserly 33% win percentage against Real Madrid – the German’s worst against a single opponent. While Carlo Ancelotti knows how to win this competition, with four already to his name. The Italian now seeks to become the most successful manager in Europe’s elite competition.
Will Ancelotti reach out and touch immortality, denying Klopp and Salah revenge?
It will all be decided in 90 minutes. Or 180 minutes. Or even via a penalty shoot-out.
