UCL FINALS – THE BATTLE OF TITANS.

Curtains fall tonight as 13-time winners Real Madrid face 6-time champions Liverpool in a mouthwatering 2021/22 UEFA Champions League Final set to go down at 2200Hrs inside the Stade de France in Paris.

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool head into their third Champions League final in five years fresh from narrowly losing the Premier League title to Manchester City are hunting for their third trophy this season after bagging the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup both at the expense of Chelsea in what has been a marathon season, playing 62 matches heading into todays finale. However, much is not said about Allison’s major contribution to liverpool’s appearance in the finals tonight. The brazilian shot stopper‘s injury time winning header against West Brom last season sealed a Champions League spot for Liverpool who were headed to the UEFA Europa League.

On the other hand, Real Madrid who just bagged their 35th La Liga title and made Italian manager Carlo Ancelloti the first manager to win all major league titles across Europe are looking to cap off what has been a fairytale UCL Campaign at the expense of Liverpool for the second time in four years after humbling the english side 3-1 in the 2018 finals in Kyiv.

THE ROAD TO THE FINALS

Liverpool have had a near perfect UCL campaign in what shaped up to be a relatively easier pathway in the knockouts through to the finals unlike their rivals. The Reds saw off Italian giants Inter Milan in the round of 16 before dismantling Portuguese side SL Benfica in the Quarter-finals with an aggregate 6-4 score line. After pulling a shocker against German powerhouse Bayern Munich, Villarreal faced Liverpool in the semi-finals but eventually lost 5-2 on aggregate to hand Liverpool a boost in their quest for a 7th Champions League title.

Unlike Liverpool, Real Madrid had it rough through to the finals having to go past European giants to seal a spot in the finals. After a shambolic round of 16 draw which initially pitted Madrid against SL Benfica, a re-draw was done and Madrid were drawn against french Champions PSG. After losing 1-0 in Paris, Madrid eventually won 3-1 at home to advance and book a date with defending champions Chelsea. Rich in their Champions League experience, Real Madrid managed to pull through after a near scare by Chelsea to win 5-4 on aggregate.

In what will go down in history books, after going down 5-3 on aggregate with a minute of normal time to play, Real Madrid pulled on of the greatest upsets of all time scoring twice in the space of a minute to force an extra time where Karim Benzema scored the winning penalty.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Both being European powerhouses and having world class players at their disposal the Champions League final promises nothing but fireworks. From Liverpool’s attacking trio of Diaz, Mane and Salah to Madrid’s dynamic duo of Benzema and Vinicius Jr. It’s not just their attacking prowess but their midfield maestros as well consisting of Thiago, Kroos, Modric, Fabinho, Henderson and Casemiro.

Karim Benzema is the top scorer in the Champions League this season with 15 goals including two hat-tricks and has been an instrumental figure in Madrid’s UCL campaign. The same can be said about Sadio Mane who has been a key figure in Liverpool’s success this season and also propelled Senegal to their maiden AFCON title as well as booking a slot in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar later in the year.

THE RACE FOR BALLON D’OR

For both Sadio Mane and Karin Benzema, it’s not just the UEFA Champions League title at stake but also the most coveted individual honors in football history, the Ballon D’or.

Sadio Mane has already won the the AFCON trophy, Carabao Cup and the FA Cup with Karim Benzema having bagged the La Liga title and the golden boot as well as toping the UCL top scorers charts. Winning the UEFA Champions league will be a step closer towards claiming the Ballon D’or for either of the two.

Even as the curtains fall on European football this season, will Madrid win their 14th title or will Liverpool go second on all time winners with their 7th UCL title.