Champions League Final LIVE – Liverpool vs Real Madrid LIVE: Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are seeking revenge against Real Madrid. Liverpool will attempt to cap a remarkable season by avenging their 2018 defeat against Real Madrid. The finals will be played on Sunday and the Spanish giants have their sights on a 14th European Cup triumph. Follow Champions League Final Updates with InsideSport.IN
It is Liverpool’s third Champions League final in five seasons, after they followed their 3-1 loss to Real in Kyiv by beating Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid a year later, and they are widely seen as slight favourites at the Stade de France to become kings of Europe for a seventh time.
Champions League Final LIVE: Liverpool eye revenge against Real Madrid in Champions League final
Liverpool vs Real Madrid LIVE: That would put them level with AC Milan, with only Saturday’s opponents having won the trophy more often, and it would allow the Anfield club to finish the campaign with a treble after they lifted the English League Cup and FA Cup.
For a long time an unprecedented quadruple was on, but Klopp’s side fell just short in the Premier League, finishing a point behind Manchester City.
“Without the Champions League it would be a great season. With the Champions League it would be a fantastic season,” said Klopp.
It has already been a memorable few years for Klopp’s side following their loss in Kyiv, when Mohamed Salah was forced off injured in the first half, Lorius Karius endured a nightmare in goal, and Gareth Bale’s brilliance won the trophy for Real.
“I think it is revenge time,” Salah, scorer of 31 goals this season, admitted recently.
Liverpool appear well placed given how much they have strengthened since 2018, chiefly in goal with the arrival of Alisson, while Thiago Alcantara has been a standout in midfield.
The problem is that you could be forgiven for thinking that Real’s name is on the cup, as it has literally been so many times before.
While Liverpool saw off Inter Milan, Benfica and Villarreal in the knockout rounds, it is easy to forget now that Carlo Ancelotti’s Real side lost at home to Sheriff Tiraspol in the group stage, such has been their extraordinary run since.
They were 2-0 down on aggregate to Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 before a Karim Benzema hat-trick in 17 second-half minutes in the second leg took them through.
Against Chelsea in the quarter-finals they scored late at home in the return leg to force extra time before Benzema got their winner.
The best was saved for the semi-final against Manchester City when they went into the 90th minute of the second leg needing two goals just to force extra time. They duly got them, and Benzema then struck the winner.
The 34-year-old Frenchman now leads Madrid into the final in his home country after a campaign in which he has scored 44 goals, with 15 in Europe and 27 on their run to the Spanish title.
Benzema will surely be nailed on to win the Ballon d’Or if his club triumphs in Paris, where victory would also help Real supporters get over Kylian Mbappe’s decision to snub them.
Madrid are chasing their fifth Champions League in nine seasons, a run that began when they beat Atletico Madrid in Lisbon in 2014.
Benzema was in that team, as was Luka Modric, while Ancelotti was the coach in his first spell in charge.
The veteran Italian can now become the first coach to win the Champions League four times, having also triumphed with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007.
The latter victory came against Liverpool and was revenge for the Anfield club’s win over Ancelotti’s Milan in Istanbul in 2005.
“Playing a final with them is something special. They have won six Champions Leagues, and if they reach seven they would go level with Milan, so I have extra motivation to win this final,” smiled Ancelotti, who had a spell as boss of Liverpool’s local rivals Everton before returning to Madrid.
This will be the third final between the clubs, who also met in Paris in 1981 — then the English side were victorious thanks to Alan Kennedy’s goal at the Parc des Princes.
This final was not supposed to be played here, but Paris stepped in after UEFA stripped Saint-Petersburg of the game following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A crowd of 80,000 will fill the Stade de France, with 20,000 fans of each team officially in attendance.
Around 40,000 more Liverpool fans are expected to travel to Paris without tickets.
How can I watch the 2022 Champions League final on TV & live stream in the UK & US?
In the UK, BT Sport once again has exclusive broadcast rights for the Champions League in 2021-22.
The final will be shown across its television channels on BT Sport 1 and Ultimate, while also being made available to stream on the BT Sport app.
In previous years, the Champions League final has been made available to watch for free on the BT Sport YouTube channel.
For those in the United States, the cream of the European crop can be caught in action on CBS in English and Univision in Spanish. Matches can be streamed in America on Paramount+.
How can I buy tickets for the 2022 Champions League final?
Of the 75,000 tickets up for grabs, UEFA has announced that 52,000 will be made available to supporters and the general public.
The two teams that reach the final will each receive an allocation of 20,000, with 12,000 tickets being offered for sale to fans across the globe.
Each of the finalists will give away 10,000 tickets free of charge to followers of their club, with European football’s governing body eager to “reward the lifeblood of the game for their loyal support during the pandemic”.
Tickets available through UEFA’s official portal will not be sold on a first come, first served basis, with a ballot being put in place that needs to be registered for when applying.
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