Former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has provided an insight into how he thinks the Champions League final against Real Madrid will play out.
The Reds take on the La Liga giants in the European Cup final in Paris on Saturday. Should Liverpool get the win, it would see the club win their seventh European crown and second under Jurgen Klopp.
Real Madrid claimed a dramatic win over Manchester City in their semi-final to reach the showpiece even in Paris. While Liverpool saw off Villarreal to reach their third final in five years in Klopp’s tenure.
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Looking ahead to the final at the weekend, Benitez has outlined the strengths of both teams. The former Reds boss went on to say how Liverpool could cause Real Madrid problems in Paris.
"A player can change a game with individual talent, and Real Madrid have shown that with the way they've got to the final, with [Karim] Benzema chipping in at key moments,” Benitez told UEFA .
"Real Madrid are well drilled and have quality. [Carlo] Ancelotti has given them confidence and calmness. Liverpool’s defence needs to be wary of Benzema's quality, Vinícius [Junior]'s pace and Rodrygo's eye for goal.
"Likewise, Real Madrid’s backline won’t get a moment's peace. [Jürgen] Klopp wants his side to be intense and he does this by having a competitive squad. To do that, you need players on the bench who make life difficult for those who are starting.
"In the past, when you spoke about Liverpool’s attackers it used to be just [Mohamed] Salah, [Sadio] Mané and [Roberto] Firmino, but now you have to add [Diogo] Jota, [Luis] Díaz and [Divock] Origi to that list.
"Liverpool have quality and intensity, and they tend to have more of the ball than their opponents. They create attacks rather than waiting to hit on the break.
"It will be interesting to see how a team like Madrid, who are used to having the majority of possession in La Liga, deal with a side who press so aggressively to recover the ball."
