Match Preview - CL Final - Liverpool vs Real Madrid - Key Battle, Team News, Prediction

Liverpool will face Real Madrid in the Champions League final tomorrow night. The clash, which is taking place at the Stade de France, will kick-off at 8:00pm BST.

The Reds go into the game having played in some very big fixtures as of late. Jurgen Klopp's side featured in the FA Cup final against Chelsea two weeks ago. The match went all the way to extra time. Liverpool won on penalties.

Then, the Reds took the Premier League title race to the final day of the season last weekend. However, Manchester City secured the trophy by a single point.

Real Madrid on the other hand won the La Liga title at the backend of April. So, Carlo Ancelotti's side are well rested heading into the Champions League final.

Below is a preview of the biggest clash of the season.

Key Battle

Karim Benzema is the type of player that could decide the final. The striker has found the back of the net 323 times in 604 appearances for Real Madrid.

The aforementioned figures highlight that Benzema is more than capable of winning a game all by himself.

Therefore, the Reds will have to be switched on defensively. Virgil van Dijk will obviously start in the heart of Liverpool's defence.

But, it will be interesting to see who plays alongside him out of Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate.

Matip is the more experienced defender, although, Konate does possess more pace. With winger Vinicius Jr also set to start for Real Madrid, we would not be shocked if Konate got the nod ahead of the 30-year-old.

However, we are confident that if Liverpool can nullify Benzema, they will give themselves a great chance of securing the trophy.

Team News

In team news for Liverpool, as cited by The Mirror, Fabinho is set to be fit for the clash against Real Madrid. The midfielder missed Liverpool's final three Premier League games of the season due to a hamstring injury.

But, Fabinho has since confirmed that he will be fit to face Real Madrid.

However, Thiago Alcantara is no certainty to play tomorrow night. The Spaniard suffered a calf injury on the final day of the Premier League season.

In team news for Real Madrid, Ancelotti has no major concerns heading into the final. The club confirmed their squad for the clash yesterday.

Previous Meeting

Liverpool faced Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals back in 2021.

The La Liga side secured a 3-1 victory over the Reds at home in the first leg. However, Klopp's team could not overturn the deficit.

The second leg, which took place at Anfield, finished in a 0-0 draw. But, the 2018 Champions League final still feels like Liverpool's most recent clash against Real Madrid.

The Spanish giants won the match 3-1. Things could have been very different had Reds goalkeeper Loris Karius not gifted Real Madrid two goals.

Klopp was sympathetic towards his shot-stopper post-game.

He told the club's official website the following: "I have only very, very few words after the game but it’s nothing to talk about. I really feel for him, nobody wants that, that’s the situation.

"The mistakes were obvious, we don’t have to talk about that, it’s all clear; he knows it, I know it, you all know it.

"Now, he has to deal with it, we have to deal with it, we will do that – of course we will be with him, there’s no doubt about that. It was not his night, obviously."

Prediction

We expect the final to be a close game. Both sides have reached the last stage of the competition for a reason.

Liverpool and Real Madrid are the two best sides in Europe right now.

But, if the Reds can keep Benzema quiet and take their chances, we do expect them to beat the La Liga giants.

Liverpool are the better team these days, which is why they have been to three of the past five European Cup finals.

Liverpool 2 Real Madrid 1