Real Madrid vs. Liverpool: Zidane's Side Have No Weaknesses, Jurgen Klopp Says
Jurgen Klopp believes there is "no weakness" in Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid side ahead of the Champions League final.
Liverpool take on the defending champions as they will look to win a first Champions League crown since 2005, while also preventing an unprecedented third straight title for Madrid in the process.
Despite the rampant form of Mohamed Salah, who has contributed to Klopp's men being the leading goalscorers in the Champions League with 40 goals, Madrid are the favorites for a fourth European title in five seasons.
Betting sites earlier this month gave them 6/5 odds to win the final, while Liverpool are the underdogs at 2/1. Ideally, Liverpool's best chance of winning is if Salah performs like he has this season but Klopp claims his tactics go beyond simply targeting Madrid leftback Marcelo with the Egyptian forward.
"You saw it, everybody saw it, seems obvious: 'Marcelo, what an offensive player, but... he can't defend'," Klopp said, as per FourFourTwo. "They won the Champions League twice, they are again in the final! Bayern Munich thought they were the better team in the two games [in the semifinals], but what is better at the end?"
"Real need four chances to score twice. Bayern needed eight to score one. They are experienced from head to toe. There is no weakness. Football is not so easy that you can say, 'If Marcelo makes that run, and we leave Mo Salah there in that space, Salah gets in against [Sergio] Ramos'."
Klopp adds his side will have to display a killer instinct and take their chances when they get them or risk suffering the same fate as Juventus or Bayern Munich earlier this campaign.
"There are opportunities for us, we know that — and they know it as well," Klopp explained. "All the teams said it: against Juve, Real were lucky, against Bayern, they were lucky, but they are the third time in a row in the final, the fourth time in five years, so what does that say? Their experience prepares them for difficult situations, so we will cause them problems and they will cause us problems. And, in the end, we have to be there in the decisive moments, we have to score when we have the chances."
Meanwhile, former Spain and Real Madrid manager Vicente Del Bosque believes Liverpool will be no match for his old side, stating not even Salah, who boasts 44 goals in 51 games in all competitions this season, would improve Los Blancos.
"Real Madrid has a great squad. They are the best club in Europe at the moment and must show that on Saturday," Del Bosque told COPE. "I don't see one player who would improve Real Madrid, not even Salah."
The Champions League final takes place at the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex in Kiev, Ukraine, on May 26.
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