Former Liverpool midfielder Luis Garcia says the Reds are favourites to lift the European Cup on Saturday evening in Paris, but has concerns that their marathon season could catch up with them at the final hurdle.
It's 17 years to the day since Spaniard Garcia was part of the Rafa Benitez team that fought back from 3-0 down at half-time against AC Milan to draw 3-3 before going on to win the Champions League on penalties in Istanbul, in what is widely regarded as the greatest European Cup final of all time.
Jurgen Klopp's side has been in phenomenal form this season and has only lost one match in all competitions since the turn of the year, but 13 time-winners Madrid were recently crowned La Liga champions and have fought back to navigate a number of difficult opponents in the knockout stages.
READ MORE: Liverpool receive major Fabinho boost but Thiago Alcantara worry emerges for Champions League final
READ MORE: 'Get that off this coach' - how Andy Robertson was 'left terrified' after taking beers onto team bus
Appearing on CBS Sports Golazo, Garcia said: "It's very difficult to make the call because both of the teams are going to arrive in a great moment. I think Liverpool, even though they lost the Premier League at the weekend, I'm a bit worried about how they arrive at this physically and mentally. It's been a very tough season for them. Being involved in every single competition kind of drains you out. You know when your phone has got that last line of battery and you're saying 'just one more call, one more text', that's how I feel about this Liverpool side. You can see they are suffering and struggling fitness-wise at the moment."
The Reds have had to juggle and number of niggling injuries in recent weeks, with three players having to come off during the FA Cup final triumph against Chelsea at Wembley on May 14. However, supporters have been given a boost with key midfielder Fabinho and defender Joe Gomez returning to training today, but there was no sign of play-maker Thiago of limped off against Wolverhampton
Garcia said: "Thiago Alcantara leaving the pitch - they mentioned it was a hamstring injury, but then they retract and say it was only a calf and he could be ready. Fabinho didn't play, (Virgil) van Dijk didn't play, (Mohamed) Salah played just a few minutes, he's getting ready for the final. But definitely, the players you can see, they are just giving their last breath out to this team and of course they're going to do it once again, but against this Real Madrid the intensity of your team has to keep it until the last second because if you give them three minutes, you know what they are capable of because they've done it in every single game of their knockout stages.
"Liverpool are favourites on paper, on argument and players, but the history and last few months of Real Madrid, having the chance of resting for so long - I think this Real Madrid are going to arrive fresh with the mentality just ready. The only thing missing is that they weren't able to sign Kylian Mbappe because that would have given them the boost to win the game. It's going to be a fantastic game. I'm very excited."
