May 29 will witness a battle between two giants of the football world when Liverpool and Real Madrid take the field in the UEFA Champions League final for the second time in five seasons at the Stade de France in Paris. Both these sides have incredible success in this tournament. While Real Madrid are record 13-time European champions, Liverpool have won the trophy six times. Their last trophy came in 2019, while Madrid won the coveted prize a season earlier in 2018 when they beat the Reds in the final.
Both of these teams are also in prime positions in their respective leagues. Madrid have already secured the La Liga trophy in Spain with four matches to spare. Meanwhile, Liverpool are in the midst of a battle with Manchester City for the Premier League title in England. They are currently four points behind City, having played a game lesser and will hope to cut the gap on the defending Premier League champions when they take on Southampton on Wednesday (May 18) night.
Real Madrid are the most successful team in the history of the Champions League. They completed the La Decima (10 CL titles) in 2014 when they beat local rivals Atletico Madrid in the final, and since then, they have won three more trophies, becoming the first team in the modern champions league era to win three straight trophies.
It was an incredible achievement for Madrid, who became the first team since Bayern Munich and Ajax in the 1970s to win a trifecta of Champions League trophies.
But the Los Blancos side led by veteran Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti will be facing a team who are in the middle of a stellar campaign and aiming to win a quadruple of trophies this season. Liverpool were the side that ended the AC Milan domination at the beginning of the 21st century when they beat the Rossoneri in the 2005 Champions League Final. In that match, the reds came back from three goals down to beat their opponents in what is considered the greatest UCL final ever.
With a lot at stake, both sides will be hoping to create their own piece of personal history. While Madrid are expected to have their full roster of players, Liverpool have been hit with injuries to Fabinho and Mohamed Salah, although both players should be fit for the final, according to manager Jurgen Klopp.
