"I don’t think Liverpool will win" - Gary Neville explains why Real Madrid will win Champions League this season
Former Manchester United star and current pundit Gary Neville is backing Real Madrid to win the UEFA Champions League against Liverpool in Paris tonight (May 28).
The two European giants will clash at Saint-Denis in just a few hours from now to decide the competition's winner this season. Various commentators and football personalities have chipped in with their predictions, including Neville, who predicts the Spanish champions to prevail.
The Whites, playing in their fifth final in ten years, have produced remarkable comebacks in the knockout stages this season from the jaws of defeat.
The road to the Champions League final included a 17 minute comeback vs PSG, the return from the dead comeback vs Chelsea and one of the most historical comebacks vs Man City. The players deserve this final, they have blessed every Real Madrid fan during this run. Until the end.
Against PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City, Carlo Ancelotti's side found themselves trailing on aggregate, facing elimination.
However, their never-say-die attitude saw them pull themselves back into the tie with a flurry of late goals, mainly from the peerless Karim Benzema. Speaking on 'The Overlap', Neville said (via Liverpool Echo):
"I don’t think Liverpool will win the European Cup. I’ve thought a lot about (the final in) Paris, and I’ve thought about Real Madrid and why they’ve won their games, why they keep coming back."
The 47-year-old added that Real Madrid's talented midfield would give the Reds a serious run for their money. He said:
"I look at Real Madrid’s midfield in Casemiro, (Toni) Kroos, (Luka) Modric – plus the two that come in late with (Federico) Valverde and (Edouardo) Camavinga – those five players drive them right from the first minute and right to the end. And Carlo Ancelotti interferes with them until the very end."
Neville is not totally wrong here, considering Madrid's midfield has been the backbone of their success this season. Their veterans like Modric, Kroos and Casemiro wi;; play their fourth final together.
Liverpool also boast a strong midfield but lack similar experience, so it will be interesting to see how they cope with Los Blancos.
Liverpool out to seek revenge against Real Madrid
The Reds were beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid in the 2018 Kyiv final and once again in the quarterfinals last year. So there's a sense of unfinished business in the camp, with Mohamed Salah famously stating that the Reds have 'scores to settle' here.
REAL MADRID vs. LIVERPOOL
The 2021-22 Champions League final will be a rematch of 2018 💪 https://t.co/42IvgAu75H
Liverpool are a much stronger team than the one that lost to Los Blancos in their last two meetings in the competition. However, they won't go down easily either, as they've shown in the knockout rounds.