And so it is here – the biggest game in club football, taking place on 26th May at 19:45. The 2018 UEFA Champions League Final waits in Kiev, with Liverpool, five-times winners themselves, looking to stop European royalty. Real Madrid await in their third consecutive final, looking to make legendary status for the players and the club well and truly sealed. Can the Reds stop Los Blancos?

Liverpool News

The Reds come into this with a weakened squad, it has to be said. Emre Can and James Milner are both doubts for the Final, while Joe Gomez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Joe Matip will all sit this one out.

That’s a lot of players to be missing from an already shallow squad. While Milner is more likely to make it than Can, it does leave Jürgen Klopp a touch short on numbers. It means that his team is likely to be a touch more predictable than some might have expected when they arrived in Kiev.

Madrid News

Madrid are literally without a single missing player – rare for such a peak time of the season. With everyone filly fit, including Gareth Bale, Madrid have plenty of firepower to call upon. With Karim Benzema expected to start another big game for Madrid, though it will be interesting to see how he handles himself in many ways.

The two minor doubts, Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo, are both passed fit and ready to go. This is likely to be a draining final, and the energy of both sides will be 100% called into question.

Verdict

It’s hard to say – there is no real way to determine such a Final. For all the arguments of Madrid having the experience and the arrogance to expect to win, Liverpool feel like a team that is emboldened by destiny. Whatever happens, it’s sure to go down as the most exciting Champions League Final in recent memory.