Ask The Fans: Can Liverpool Win Their Seventh European Cup In Paris?

The Reds face Real Madrid in the showpiece event of club football
16:02, 27 May 2022

Liverpool fans are already making their way to Paris for the Champions League final, in the hope that they can win their second European Cup in just four years. Having just missed out on the Premier League title on the final day, the most successful team in European history, Real Madrid, now stand in their way at the Stade de France.

We’ve caught up with Liverpool fan Owen Maers from @AnfieldEdition and a Real Madrid fan from @LosMadridistas_ to gauge the feeling of the fans ahead of the final game of a marathon season.

Have Liverpool exceeded your expectations this season?

I think at the start of the season we expected a title challenge and to fall 14 points short of City halfway through the season, having not done much wrong was difficult and expectations had to be adjusted. Reflecting on it now, I think competing all the way for absolutely every trophy is definitely exceeding realistic expectations!

Would it be a failure to only win the two domestic cups this season?

Not a failure, football is a game of fine margins. One man city goal decided the title ultimately, and it could be one goal to decide the Champions League. To compete all the way across all competitions is far beyond what most fans experience.

Would you have rather won the Premier League or the UCL this season? 

I think I'd rather win the Champions League. It's the world's best teams going head to head and there's just something magical about the tournament. The celebrations in Madrid in 2019 shows how much it means!

Thoughts on Sadio Mane and Mo Salah’s future? Do Liverpool need them both to stay?

They definitely need both to stay however I do now see Sadio Mane leaving. A Champions League final is a perfect send off and he's won all he can with Liverpool in 6 years. He will go to a European giant where the league title is up for grabs for a new challenge I feel. But Liverpool should do everything they can to keep him.

Sadiomaneucljpg

Three Champions League finals in five years, what has made Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool so good in Europe? 

The one off games seem to always favour the Reds. They have a knack of not knowing when they're beaten and going on quick goal scoring spells. It's that intensity in their play that makes them so hard to beat.

How does the final pan out and score predictions?

Hopefully not like 2018's that's for sure! I do think there's a sense of destiny with Real Madrid, having not lost a European final since 1981 you can't really bet against them. The optimist in me wants to predict us winning but the realist knows that Madrid will probably come out on top.

I'll sadly say 3-2 Real Madrid...

To get a Real Madrid angle, we also spoke to @LosMadridistas_, for the Spanish perspective. Surely, as a fan of the 13-time winners of the competition, they are used to these sorts of situations? Madrid have fought their way to this final, with dramatic wins against PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City and now they face one final hurdle in Paris. 

How do you think this season has gone for Real Madrid?

I hope that Real will manage to put on some intensity without suffering too much from the intensity of Liverpool. I especially hope that Real will be effective in the final third, as Karim Benzema has had an amazing season.

How are you feeling ahead of the UCL final?

The stress begins to mount, we play the hardest match for a footballer to reach. It's been a long season but we have already won La Liga, and the Champions League means everything.

Did you expect to make it to the final?

No, honestly, I didn't see Real doing such a performance and such a season in Europe at all. It's incredible!

What do you think the score will be and who will be your standout player?

I won't give a prediction but I pray for a victory for Real with one or more goals from Benzema!

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