The 2022 Champions League Final kicks off at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis this Saturday, May 28th with Liverpool FC of England taking on Spanish giants Real Madrid.
This is the 67th edition of the European Cup, which switched to the Champions League format in the 1992/93 season. Real Madrid will be seeking a record 14th trophy while Liverpool will be hunting for its seventh. Both teams have also finished as runners-up on three occasions.
Liverpool took care of Inter Milan of Italy, Benfica of Portugal and Spain’s Villarreal in the knockout stages to make the Final while Real Madrid downed Paris Saint-Germain of France along with English clubs Chelsea and Manchester City.
Real Madrid’s two-legged semi-final victory over Manchester City was one of the most dramatic in the event’s history as they scored twice in the final minute of the second game to send the contest to extra time. They then notched the winner via a penalty kick early in the extra frame.
On the domestic front, Liverpool’s hopes of winning the English Premier League were finally put to rest on the last day of the season as they were edged out by Manchester City by just one point. The Merseyside club had hoped to become the first English team in history to pull of a “quadruple” by winning the league, FA cup, League Cup and Champions League. They can still achieve a ‘treble’ though with a win over Real Madrid as they’ve already bagged the English League and FA Cups.
Over in the Spanish La Liga, Real Madrid was crowned the national champion for a record 35th time as they finished the campaign 13 points ahead of runner-up Barcelona. The club also won the Supercopa de Espana in January.
Liverpool and Real Madrid have met in the European Final twice before. The English side were 1-0 winners in Paris, France in 1981 while Real Madrid were victorious in Kyiv, Ukraine by a 3-1 score in 2018. In fact, this is the first time the same two teams have met in a European Cup/Champions League Final three times.
Real Madrid knocked Liverpool out of last year’s competition at the quarterfinal stage with a 3-1 win on aggregate. They were then beaten 3-1 on aggregate by Chelsea in the semifinals. Overall, the two sides have met eight times in the tournament over the years with Real Madrid having a close edge at four wins, three losses and a draw while outscoring Liverpool 10-8.
Liverpool enters the game as UEFA’s second-ranked team while Real Madrid is ranked fifth. The English side last won the title in 2018/19 when they beat fellow Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur 2-0. Liverpool’s overall record in this season’s Champions League is 10 wins, one draw and one defeat with 30 goals for and 13 against. Mohamed Salah is their leading scorer with eight goals and the team is managed by Jürgen Klopp.
Real Madrid last’s title win came in 2017/18 with the triumph over Liverpool. Their record in this year’s tournament is eight wins and four losses with 28 goals for and 14 conceded with Karim Benzema as the top scorer at 15 goals and Carlo Ancelotti as their manager. This is their record 17th European Cup Final appearance and they’ve won their last seven.
The Final will go to 30 minutes of extra time if it isn’t decided in 90 minutes of regulation play. If it’s still level after extra time it will be decided by a penalty shootout. Each team will be allowed to dress 12 substitutes. However, only five of them may be used with a sixth substitution allowed in extra time if the game goes that far.
Bet365 currently lists Liverpool as the favorites at +100 with Real Madrid at +250 and a draw at +275. Don’t forget there are numerous other wagers on offer for the game itself such as half-time score, correct score, total goals and corners etc and live in-game betting is also available.