Liverpool aim to end Real reign in Champions League final

Kiev (AFP) – Liverpool and Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian striker whose goals took his side to the Champions League final, hope their brand of attacking football can prevent Real Madrid from becoming kings of Europe for the third year in a row on Saturday.

The Spanish giants have seen the Champions League as their competition ever since winning the first five European Cups in a row, and they are in the midst of another golden era, dreaming of making it a fourth Champions League in five years.

Neither Atletico Madrid (twice) nor Juventus have been able to stop Cristiano Ronaldo from inflicting pain on them in recent finals.

But Liverpool’s own attacking quality gives them reason to believe and suggests the Olympic Stadium in the Ukrainian capital could be the scene of an unforgettable encounter.

In terms of history alone, this is a dream final.

Real’s 12 European Cup wins puts them way ahead of the rest, but Liverpool have lifted the famous trophy five times themselves, most recently in 2005, defying all the odds against AC Milan in Istanbul.

This time, under Klopp, their adventure started against Hoffenheim in the play-offs last August, continued with a 3-3 draw in Seville when they had been three goals up, before blossoming into stunning wins over Manchester City and Roma.

– Goals galore –

They have scored a record 46 goals in all in this season’s Champions League, with Salah netting 11 of those — the Egyptian has 44 in all competitions since joining from Roma last year.

“If we win the competition then the road to Kiev plus the final would be one of the most exceptional rides ever,” Klopp told Liverpool’s website.

Klopp has lost his last five major finals as a coach, including the 2013 Champions League with Borussia Dortmund against Bayern Munich, and the 2016 Europa League with Liverpool against Sevilla.

Experience means his team have to be the outsiders in Kiev — none of the squad have ever played in a Champions League final before — but Klopp knows Zinedine Zidane’s side cannot dismiss them.

“Do Real Madrid, sitting in Madrid at the moment, think, ‘thank God it’s Liverpool!’? I can’t imagine that,” added the coach, who has welcomed Emre Can back into his squad.

Salah will of course be so important, especially if Marcelo is unable to resist the temptation to abandon his left-back position and join the Real attack.

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