Jürgen Klopp has said that Liverpool will face Real Madrid in a draw in Saturday’s Champions League final and believes that organizing the event in Paris sends “exactly the right message” to Vladimir Putin about Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Liverpool aim to become European champions for the seventh time at the Stade de France, where the thirteen-time winners, Real, and their four-time winning coach, Carlo Ancelotti, await them. Real’s European stature and great experience in the Champions League could give them an advantage, Klopp acknowledged, but after reaching the final three times in five seasons, he insists his team should consider be at the same level.
The Liverpool coach, when asked what the favorites were, said: “If you look at the history of the club, the experience of the other team and the way Real Madrid celebrated the comebacks, I would say that from my point In my opinion, Real Madrid is the favorite … But I really want to be on the same level and think we are on the same level.
“I want us to be completely ourselves in this game. If we are at the forefront of our game, we are hard to play, very hard to play. That is my only concern right now, to be ourselves and also have a lot of confidence. But it is clear that the level of confidence of the Madrid fans is incredibly high.
“It simply came to our notice then. The world we live in means that we are judged by the end result. If you’re a footballer, you know that what my guys have done this season so far is absolutely exceptional, but in the end it’s all measured by the color of the medal you get after a game. We are ready for that. History will tell us what people say about us. I’m very happy with what we’ve done so far. “
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The road to Paris
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Liverpool
Group B: Maximum points and few scares, as the set of Jurgen Klopp was confirmed at the head of the group with two days left. The 5-1 victory over Porto in their second match highlighted the gap and they finished 11 points ahead of second-placed Atlético de Madrid. An impromptu team beat Milan 2-1 at the San Siro in the last game.
Round of 16: Inter 0-2 Liverpool; Liverpool 0-1 Inter (Liverpool 2-1 overall victory). The final goals of Salah and Firmino got a famous victory and Inter could not recover enough at Anfield.
Quarterfinals: Benfica 1-3 Liverpool; Liverpool 3-3 Benfica (Liverpool overall 6-4 victory). Benfica came back late in the return leg, but Liverpool returned to work away from home.
Semifinal: Liverpool 2-0 Villarreal; Villarreal 2-3 Liverpool (Liverpool 5-2 overall victory). Halfway through the Ceramics Stadium the tie was unexpectedly tied. But Liverpool ignited the fire in the second half with goals from Fabinho, Diaz and Mané.
Real Madrid
Group D: The Moldovan FC Sheriff overcame the clash of the group stage by beating Real 2-1 at the Bernabeu. But Real won all other matches, including both against Inter and a 5-0 home win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Round of 16: PSG 1-0 Real Madrid; Real Madrid 3-1 PSG (victory of Real 3-2 overall). A hat-trick from Benzema in the second half. An epic return when all seemed lost. And so it began.
Quarterfinals: Chelsea 1-3 Real Madrid; Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea aet (victory of Real 5-4 overall). Benzema hat-trick in the first leg. Chelsea were going through 10 minutes of normal time to play the return match, but Rodrygo and then Benzema sent off the reigning champions.
Semifinal: Man City 4-3 Real Madrid; Real Madrid 3-1 Man City aet (victory of Real 6-5 overall). A tie for centuries. City won 3-1 at the Etihad and 1-0 at the Bernabeu, but Real came back both times. Two impressive goals from Rodrygo in the end brought the tie to extra time and Benzema’s penalty sealed what seemed inevitable at the time.
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The Champions League final was to be held in St. Petersburg before the Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted Uefa to move the match. Klopp paused and reassured himself when asked about the significance of the change, before declaring that the loss of a prestigious global event would send a statement to Russia.
“I’m glad the game is here for thousands of reasons,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then. How to kill the mood [with the question]. The war is still going on and we have to think about it. The match is still going on and the fact that we are not in St. Petersburg is exactly the right message that Russia should receive. Life goes on even when you try to destroy it.
“We play this final for all the people of Ukraine. I’m sure some people in Ukraine can still see it and we do it for you, 100%.
Workers are installing a new track at the Stade de France this week. Work was completed at 1 a.m. Friday. Photo: Franck Fife / AFP / Getty Images
The change of venue in February, along with the post-pandemic events that were held in rapid succession at the Stade de France, meant that the pitch was closed only at 1am on Friday. Klopp admitted that the surface was not ideal, but said it did not dampen his mood.
Klopp, who has Thiago Alcântara and Fabinho available after the injury, said: “Overall, when I say the pitch looks new, it’s good news. But there was an idea to it – the misdirected ball was turned into a cross towards, who was waiting for it in the box. “Someone thought it was a good idea to take the field to the stadium the day before. It’s an interesting idea. But it didn’t kill my mood at 1%. I’m glad we’re here. the petanque.
“Both teams are technical teams and in a dream world you want the field to be the best you’ve ever seen in your life. Obviously not. It may be perfect, but it doesn’t look perfect. I hope no one tells a story about “Klopp moaning in the field.” I am OK.”