ONLINE
Live tracker on Saturday on RTÉ Sport Online and RTÉ News Now app.
TV
Live coverage of the Champions League final on Saturday evening from 7:00pm on RTÉ 2 and RTÉ Player.
Liverpool v Real Madrid, Stade de France, kick-off 8pm
Liverpool are unbeaten since March, have lost only three games all season and have already lifted two domestic cups, but they will play Real Madrid under pressure to avoid ending the campaign as nearly men.
Having spent the latter part of the season being touted for a unique quadruple, they face the prospect of potential double disappointment after missing out on the Premier League title to Manchester City by a solitary point on the last day.
For Real, the situation could not be more different. They began the season with low expectations but ended up romping to the LaLiga title and became the comeback kings of Europe after heroic and improbable fightbacks en route to the final.
So while bookies' favourites Liverpool have lost fewer games in all competitions this term than Madrid have in the Champions League alone, the pressure appears to be more on the Reds to lift the trophy at the Stade de France.
KEY MEN
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
The Madrid striker has hit 15 goals in 11 Champions League games, 10 in the knockout stage, and his goals have put Real on the verge of winning Europe's elite club title for the fifth time in nine years, while the France striker is also favourite to claim the Ballon D'Or after scoring 44 goals, with 15 assists, in 45 games in all competitions.
It has been a stellar season that took some time to arrive for the 34-year-old Frenchman, who took has cemented a place as the undisputed leader and most influential player in a team that needed a talisman after losing Cristiano Ronaldo four years ago.
He has only netted once in his four Champions League finals but that was against Liverpool in 2018 when he opened the scoring in a 3-1 win thanks to a horrendous error by Loris Karius on a nightmare night for the German goalkeeper.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Mohamed Salah has struggled with an injury over the last few weeks and there are questions over how fit he will be for the big game.
Salah has said he will be seeking revenge for the "worst moment of his career" when he came off injured early in the 2018 final defeat - words that were noted by Real's players and have given them added motivation to lift the trophy.
"I remember when I went out after 30 minutes or something, it was the worst moment of my career," said Salah.
"I was really, really down after that. After the game I knew the result because I was in the hospital. I was like, 'We cannot lose the game in that way.' I never had that feeling before in football.
"After what happened with Madrid last time and also after what happened on Sunday. Everyone is motivated to win the Champions League."
REAL MADRID - THE COMEBACK KINGS
Memories of that match in 2018, where Madrid won 3-1, will provide an extra dose of confidence for this Real side, on the back of their hugely impressive run of comebacks in this season's competition that have built a feeling of invincibility for Los Blancos.
They came from behind in all their knockout stage clashes against Paris St Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City to win with last-minute goals that turned the Bernabeu into a place where fans and players started believing miracles come true.
TEAM NEWS
Real won a record-extending 35th LaLiga title with a month of the season left and are in their 17th European Cup final - an accomplishment that allowed Ancelotti to give his players some rest as they go into the final with no major injury concerns.
Liverpool midfielders Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho have been passed fit and ready to feature in the final, said manager Jurgen Klopp.
Thiago was substituted with a muscle issue in the first half of Sunday's final Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fabinho has not played since hobbling off with a hamstring tweak during the 2-1 win over Aston Villa on 10 May.
WHAT THEY SAID
KLOPP
Klopp thinks Real Madrid will have a small advantage in terms of their experience having reached their fifth Champions League final in nine seasons.
"If you look at the way Real Madrid celebrate those comebacks then I would say they are the favourites," said Klopp.
"I want us to be on the same level in these kind of things. I want us to be completely ourselves in this game - if we are on the top of our game we are difficult to play. My main concern is for us to be ourselves and be confident.
"Mood is very good, very excited about being here. Getting a feeling for the stadium and the location."
And Klopp believes his team have "grown" since their 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final and that match will have no bearing on Saturday's game.
"We delivered that night and circumstances hit us. We couldn't react and arrived on three wheels. Key players came back from injury. Mo (Salah) got injured. Our goalie had a concussion.
"Things happened. You have to learn to win. The boys developed in the last few years enormously. We are part of a massive club. What happened in 2018 was important but (winning the title in) 2019 was more important."
ANCELOTTI
"We are strong, the mentality aspect is really good," said Ancelotti. "The personality and experience this team has, you cannot say it was luck.
"I'm really proud of my players... I didn't have any problems managing them. They were all professional every day, even those who didn't play."
Ancelotti believes the blue half of Merseyside are sure to be behind their old manager in Saturday’s Stade de France showdown.
"I know that the Evertonians support us tomorrow, for sure.
"I know there is a big rivalry on Merseyside. I have a good memory from my time spent in Liverpool on the blue side and I’m sure they will support me tomorrow."
"We’ve had time to prepare well for it, I think we head into it in very good shape.
"We’re going to give our best, of course, but I’m not convinced that is enough to win it.
"That will give us a better chance if we play better. As for whether that’s enough, I don’t know because there are things you can’t control in football."
"We have to enjoy it until the referee blows the whistle. Then it will be another story that will be written."
PITCH ISSUES
A new pitch was installed at the Stade de France earlier in the week and Klopp had some concerns.
There has been a rush to get the stadium ready for the final after St Petersburg was stripped of the game following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"Usually when the pitch looks new, it's good news. But not in this case as it is new since yesterday," said Klopp.
"We will have a normal training session and will see. I watched the referees with their session and the ball looked to drop normal.
"Somebody thought it would be a good idea to bring a new pitch the day before the game, but didn't kill my mood. Both teams have the same circumstances so I'm fine with it."
Real Madrid boss Ancelotti was slightly more reserved in his comments.
"Yes, I knew they were going to change it but we haven’t been out there yet and trained. I don’t think it will be an issue," he said.
"I can’t judge that and say if he is right or not as I haven’t been out on the pitch yet."
KEY STATS
- The two teams have met eight times in the European Cup, with Real winning four times and Liverpool three.
- Their most recent meeting was in the quarter-finals of the 2020-21 Champions League season.
- This is the third time the teams will meet in the final - Liverpool won 1-0 in the 1980-81 European Cup final, while Real won 3-1 in the 2017-18 Champions League final.
- Real have won the title on 13 occasions - in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 - and have triumphed in their last seven finals.
- England's Liverpool have won the title six times - in 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005 and 2019.
- Real have never lost a final since the competition became known as the Champions League. This is their eighth appearance in the fixture.
- Real's Carlo Ancelotti is the first coach to lead a team in five Champions League finals and is seeking a record-breaking fourth European Cup victory. He shares the landmark of three wins with former Real boss Zinedine Zidane and Liverpool's Bob Paisley.
- A victory would also make Ancelotti the first coach to win the Champions League twice with more than one club. He previously led AC Milan to two Champions League titles.
