Liverpool and Carlo Ancelotti are no strangers. When the Italian coach leads his La Liga champions Real Madrid out into the Stade de France on Saturday, it will be the fourth time he has encountered the Reds in a European Cup final, in a roundabout way.
As a player, Ancelotti was part of the Roma team that lost to Joe Fagan's treble-winning side of 1984 on penalties - Bruce Grobbelaar's wobbly legs et al - in the Olympic stadium. But the midfielder played no part in the match as he was injured. Since then he has come up against Liverpool twice as manager of AC Milan, first in the 'miracle of Istanbul' final in 2005, before winning Milan's seventh European Cup years later in Athens against Rafa Benitez' side.
Now as the boss of Spanish giants Madrid, the one-time Everton manager is preparing to face a familiar foe from Merseyside again on Saturday, where he will attempt to become the first coach in football history to win the Champions League on four separate occasions.
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In an interview with UEFA.com, he said: "In my career in the Champions League, we have faced each other many times. The first time was in 1984, the final in Rome. I didn’t play because I was injured. Then, in 2005 and 2007, and of course, the rivalry was accentuated during the period I worked at Everton. Now, we'll face each other again. They have a great squad, they’re difficult to go up against. They play at a very high level, with great physicality, but it’s a pleasure to play against them in the final.
"[In the 2005 Istanbul final] that was the best any team I’ve coached ever played in a final. Unfortunately, in football there is that unpredictability which you can’t control. It’s difficult to explain. It’s difficult to explain how we scored twice in one minute in the 90th minute against [Manchester] City [in the semi-finals]. These things happen, and you have to accept it. You also don’t have to think about it too much. Football always offers [a chance of redemption], and that happened two years later [when AC Milan beat Liverpool in the 2007 final]."
Liverpool's never-to-be-forgotten comeback against Ancelotti's Milan side in 2005 was a bitter disappointment for everyone associated with the star-studded Italian side at the time, but having beaten the Reds 2-1 two years later, its ghost was quickly buried. Likewise, the Reds' defeat in bizarre circumstances at the hands of Madrid in 2018 is sure to motivate Jurgen Klopp's team this team around, but with this year's final in Paris, Ancelotti saw the quest for redemption through a different prism.
He said: "Will Liverpool be out for revenge for the 2018 final loss to Madrid? Real Madrid are also looking for revenge because they lost a final against Liverpool in [the 1981 final in] Paris. I don’t think it [means much]. Two great teams will face each other, and the one with more courage and personality will win at the end.
"Like I said, [Liverpool have] a lot of quality together, with high intensity and good organisation. They’re one of the best teams. [Jürgen Klopp is] a great coach. I have a good relationship with him. [He’s] A great coach who brought some new things to football with the intensity and offensive pressure [of his teams]. He’s doing a great job."
Widely regarded as one of the most successful managers in European football history, Ancelotti will break new ground when he leads a team into a Champions League final for the fifth time. He is also one of just seven people to have won the European Cup or Champions League as both a player and a manager.
Reflecting on his managerial achievements, he added: "I’ve thought about it. Yes, many years have passed since the first time. Football has changed, and I was able to adapt to those changes.
"From the first final in 2003 to today, there have been many changes. They have been positive changes. Football is always a very, very interesting show, and I adapt to the changes because I have a passion for this sport.
"What does it feel like to win it? [It feels like] you’ve won the most important competition; you have done your job well. Is it different winning it as a coach than as a player? Well, yes. The feelings, the emotions, are different. They are stronger when you win as a manager. As a player, you are part of a group that wins the trophy, but as a manager you have more responsibilities."
