Former Arsenal ace and now pundit, Paul Merson, has backed Liverpool to beat Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final.
Liverpool and Real Madrid will face off in the UEFA Champions League final on May 28 at the Stade de France, and former Arsenal playmaker Paul Merson has backed the Reds to beat Los Blancos. Merson believes Jurgen Klopp’s side will ‘have too much’ for the newly-crowned La Liga champions in the crucial encounter.
The two sides meet in a repeat of the 2018 final in Cardiff, where Real Madrid prevailed 3-1. That encounter is also infamous for Sergio Ramos’s tackle on Mohamed Salah which forced the Liverpool talisman off the field 30 minutes into the game.
Liverpool got the better of Villarreal in this season’s semi-finals, whereas Real Madrid broke Manchester City hearts by securing a late comeback win in the second leg to set up a finale with the Reds. And with Liverpool in such hot form across competitions, Merson thinks they will be too much to handle for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
“Liverpool will beat Real Madrid. They won’t mess about. They will have too much for them in the Champions League Final,” Merson wrote in his Daily Star column.
The UEFA Champions League final is all the more crucial for Liverpool as they are chasing an unprecedented quadruple. The Reds are active in all competitions – FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League – and have won the EFL Cup already. Merson weighed in on their golden run this season, praising Klopp for bringing out the best of a squad which does not enjoy much depth.
“Winning the Champions League alone would be a brilliant feat for Liverpool. Winning three cups would be a phenomenal achievement. But to win four trophies would be absolutely sensational. Especially when you consider they don’t have the biggest squad.”
“You don’t look at Liverpool’s bench and go: ‘Wow!’ do you? The way they have stayed in the hunt in every competition is incredible and Jurgen Klopp deserves all the credit,” he added.
While there is weight in Merson’s assessment, Real Madrid have been on quite a roll this season as well. Los Blancos have already secured the La Liga title and are fully focused on the UEFA Champions League final. Liverpool, on the other hand, still have the FA Cup final and the Premier League title race to deal with.
