"Maybe even the best team in Europe" - Toni Kroos explains how Liverpool have improved since 2018 ahead of Real Madrid face-off
Real Madrid star Toni Kroos has admitted that Los Blancos' UEFA Champions League final opponents Liverpool are stronger than they were in 2018.
The La Liga champions will lock horns with Jurgen Klopp's side in the Champions League final at the Stade de France on Saturday. The fixture is a repeat of the 2018 Champions League final that took place in Kyiv.
TOMORROW.
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Real Madrid emerged victorious that day, beating Liverpool 3-1 to win their 13th Champions League title. Karim Benzema opened the scoring for Los Blancos that night, while Gareth Bale's brace sealed the game for them.
Reds goalkeeper Loris Karius grabbed the headlines for the wrong reasons in 2018 as his errors led to two goals. Mohamed Salah's injury in the first half also handed a major blow to the Premier League side's hopes of winning that day.
REAL MADRID vs. LIVERPOOL
The 2021-22 Champions League final will be a rematch of 2018 💪 https://t.co/2f2KYAbVKw
However, four years later, Klopp and Co have the opportunity to settle their score against Real Madrid. It appears Los Blancos are aware of the challenge that lies ahead of them on Saturday.
Looking ahead to the game, Kroos explained that the Anfield outfit have kept their best players while adding more quality to the squad over the last four years. The Real Madrid midfielder also suggested that Liverpool are currently the best team in Europe. He told German broadcaster ZDF [via The Echo]:
"I think Liverpool are stronger than they were in 2018. I think they have kept their best players and some really good ones have been added again. They have Thiago [Alcantara] in midfield who sits back controlling play. Overall it is going very, very well for them. I think over the entire season, maybe even the best team in Europe."
Klopp's side have won six trophies since their defeat to Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final. It remains to be seen if they can add another piece of silverware to their cabinet on Saturday.
Kroos positive of Real Madrid's chances against Liverpool
Kroos went on to concede that both sides have a 50-50 chance of winning the Champions League this weekend. However, the Germany international is positive of his side's chances of claiming the title. He added:
"But it’s only one game and we have showed a couple of times what we can do. We also got through last year against them in the knockout round in the quarterfinals. I can see that very clearly [it is] 50/50."
Carlo Ancelotti's side beat Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Chelsea and Manchester City on their way to the Champions League final. Liverpool, on the other hand, got past Inter Milan, Benfica and Villarreal.