The UEFA Champions League is a seasonal football competition established in 1955. Prior to the 1992–93 season, the tournament was named the European Cup. The UEFA Champions League is open to the league champions of all UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) member associations (except Liechtenstein, which has no league competition), as well as to the clubs finishing from second to fourth position in the strongest leagues.
Originally, only the champions of their respective national league and the defending champions of the competition were allowed to participate.
However, this was changed in 1997 to allow the runners-up of the stronger leagues to compete as well, and again in 1999 when third and fourth placed teams of the said leagues also became eligible.
In the Champions League era, the defending champions of the competition did not automatically qualify until the rules were changed in 2005 to allow title holders Liverpool to enter the competition.
It is all set for the 2021-22 UEFA Champions league finals between Real Madrid C.F (LaLiga champions) and Liverpool (runners-up in English Premier league) to take place on Saturday 28th May, 2022 in Stade De France at Paris (capital of France). And Paris will be the place to be tomorrow as the world’s attention will be on Paris.
Real Madrid are the most successful club in the history of both European Cup and the UEFA Champions league, winning the competition for a record thirteen (13) times. The Los Blancos will be looking forward to add up this year’s cup to make it fourteen. Captain and leader of the side, Karim Benzema has already scored 15 goals in this year’s competition and will be looking forward to inspire his side to another champions league glory.
Madrid are being led by the much experienced manager, Carlo Ancelotti. Ancelotti has won the competition five times, three as a manager and two as a player. He won it with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007 and with Real Madrid in 2014 as a manager and with AC Milan a player in 1989 and 1990.
Liverpool on the other hand have won the Champions league on six occasions and are the joint third most successful club with Bayern Munich in the competition’s history. AC Milan are the second most successful club with seven titles.
Liverpool’s manager Jurgen Klopp has already been to the finals on three occasions, losing two and winning one in 2019 with Liverpool. Klopp will look forward to securing a second champions league in his fourth appearance in the finals, three with Liverpool in 2018, 2019 and 2022 and one with Dortmund in 2013.
Mohammed Salah is the leading top scorer in the Champions league in Liverpool’s team with eight goals. Mohammed Salah won the Golden Boot in this year’s English Premier league with twenty-three (23) goals.
HEAD TO HEAD
The two sides have met eight times in the Champions league, two in the finals. Real Madrid have won four times against Liverpool. The recent win Madrid had over Liverpool was a 3:1 win in the 2020-2021 season in their second leg champions league match at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Liverpool on the other hand have won three times against Madrid. The two have only had one of their games ending in a draw. Liverpool are the only club to have defeated Real Madrid in an European Cup finals in 1981.
Both teams are determined to make history in this year’s UEFA Champions league finals and it promises to be an exciting match.
