From 32 teams, just two remain and the Champions League final line-up has now been confirmed with Liverpool taking on Real Madrid.
Two of the most successful clubs in European football history will go head-to-head at the Stade de France later this month after both navigated their way through pulsating semi-final ties. The Reds were the first side to secure passage, but were given a major fright by Villarreal.
Taking a two-goal lead to Spain, Liverpool saw their advantage wiped out during a chastening first-half display. But goals from Fabinho, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane earned them a relatively comfortable aggregate victory.
Real Madrid’s progression on the other hand, was anything but comfortable, putting together one of the most memorable comebacks in recent history. The La Liga champions found themselves two goals down and staring down the barrel of elimination, before Rodrygo scored twice in less than two minutes to take the game to extra time.
Karim Benzema then did what Karim Benzema does best and scored the decisive third goal to set Los Blancos up with the chance to win their 14th European Cup. It’s a rematch of the 2018 final in Kyiv, which saw the Spaniards run out 3-1 winners courtesy of a pair of Loris Karius gaffes.
Madrid were also victorious when the two sides met last season at the quarter-final stage, winning 3-1 in the Spanish capital before drawing 0-0 at Anfield. It’s a very different Liverpool team this time around however, with Jurgen Klopp’s side chasing a historic quadruple of major honours.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Who will lift the Champions League this season? Let us know in the comments
The Premier League giants will likely go into the Paris final as favourites having proven themselves to be one of, if not the best team in Europe this season. But on paper at least, Real hold a major advantage as both teams look towards the May 28 showdown.
Having wrapped up the Spanish title last weekend, Carlo Ancelotti is in the enviable position of being able to wrap his superstars in cotton wool and rotate his squad accordingly. Between now and the final, Los Blancos have four league games, with little on the line other than making their dominance over Barcelona even clearer.
Liverpool are facing a very different period ahead of the first ball being kicked off in just over three weeks. Unlike Real Madrid, Liverpool have everything to play for and will hope to have lifted another two trophies before they fly out to France.
The Reds need a favour from one of City’s opponents, but know they will likely need to win their final four league matches, culminating with Wolves at home on May 22, if they are to have a chance of winning the title.
And sandwiched in between that bid for a second Premier League title is an FA Cup final with reigning European champions Chelsea. Klopp will have little chance to rest his players in what could yet prove to be a historic month for the Merseysiders.
But although that could give Madrid the edge, there are examples that can give Liverpool hope of winning European football's biggest prize for the seventh time.
It isn’t too often that the Reds want to take inspiration from Manchester United - particularly in recent seasons - but their remarkable treble season of 1999 does provide a blueprint. In that campaign, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side faced a similarly daunting schedule, with a tight title race and an FA Cup final at Wembley.
The Red Devils would go on to win the league on the final day of the season, before beating Newcastle at the home of football the following week. United were then able to dust themselves down and produced their own miracle comeback, beating Bayern Munich 2-1 at the Camp Nou to seal what has been up to now, an unmatched haul of honours.
More recently, Chelsea proved that the idea of relaxing into a final wasn’t always the preferred option. Having secured a place in last season’s final vs Manchester City, Thomas Tuchel’s side still had to battle for a top-four place before playing Leicester in the cup final.
Despite losing to the Foxes, Tuchel pointed to the fact that his players would be at their sharpest, with City - already crowned champions - able to cruise into the final. “You get absolutely focused, absolutely sharp when the kind of pressure that we have now is on,” Tuchel explained. “It brings you to the edge. It brings you out of bed early. You think twice and become sharp. That’s what I demand of myself – to deliver under pressure.”
So while Real Madrid may believe they hold an ace up their sleeves, Klopp and Liverpool have two very clear blueprints to follow and proof that a fully focused team could actually be an advantage over a well-rested one.
