Champions League and Championship playoff finals: football countdown – as it happened

Right, just 26 hours to go before the big kick-off in Paris. Will it be 1981 all over again and a Liverpool win? Or will Real Madrid make it No.14? Thanks for reading!

A few stats for this year’s Champions League before we wind down.

Results
Liverpool: Won 10, Drawn 1, Lost 1
Real Madrid: Won 8, Drawn 0, Lost 4

Goals
Liverpool 30
Real Madrid 27

More pictures from Paris...

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Adrian and Alisson are shown a copy of our Premier League predictions.

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‘A punk singer and fake European Cup: how Klopp got Liverpool back on track’. That’s quite the headline.

Andy Hunter is our man in Paris. All is revealed here:

Jan Molby doing it in style.

Pictures from Paris...

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Liverpool’s players now trying to hit the crossbar with shots from the edge of the area. A woeful effort from Mo Salah, who gets good-humoured grief from his teammates, before Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita successfully strike the woodwork. If this was on a practice putting green at the Open Championship, I’d be reading all sorts into it!

Support for the local boy.

Before the season began we predicted where all 20 clubs would finish in the Premier League. We were right about two of them – which beats last year.

Still, you have admire the refreshing honesty. Picking Liverpool to finish 4th and Manchester United 2nd? Whatever.

Liverpool have just published footage (from earlier today) of the squad boarding the plane. And, yep, there’s Fabinho and Thiago strolling up the steps and carrying their own luggage without wincing. Clearly fit then! Both are now out on the pitch limbering up.

Liverpool’s players are currently out on the pitch training. Jason McAteer and John Aldridge are having a pre-match discussion on the official LFC website. A sunny day in Paris and the pitch looks lush. But too lush. Both former Liverpool stars agree it needs a cut.

It’s The Fiver! Big Cup Final day is nearly here.

Back to Jürgen Klopp and he’s asked about the final being moved from St Petersburg.

He pauses to choose the right words. “That the game still happens and is not in St Petersburg is exactly the right message.”

Away from the Champions League final, Antonio Conte has agreed to stay as Tottenham’s manager after a meeting on Friday in Turin with Fabio Paratici, the managing director of football.

Talks covered issues including transfer targets, prospective sales and new deals for existing squad members. Spurs are keen to give an extension to Harry Kane, who has two years remaining on his contract.

More on Sadio Mane’s future. This time a German journalist asks Klopp, in English, about the interest from Bayern and, after some bantz from the Liverpool boss that the question should have been asked in French, Klopp says: “This is the wrong moment to talk about that. Wherever he plays next season, he will be a big player.”

This is what Mane said yesterday...

Honestly, the answer I can give you now is I feel very good, and I am fully focused on Saturday’s game. That is the answer I must give before the final. But come back to me on Saturday and I will give you the best answer you want to hear, for sure. It’s special. I will give you all you want to hear then.

For now, let’s go win it because I have no time for other things. I will do everything possible to win it because it is my and all the boys’ biggest dream, then I will give you the answers.

A couple of UK journalists ask Jürgen Klopp about the Paris pitch. It was only laid yesterday.

This pitch is new since yesterday, this isn’t the best news for both teams. We will do a completely normal session as planned. I saw the referees during their session. The ball drops normal. Someone thought it was a good idea to relay the pitch a day before - that’s an interesting idea. It did not change my mood for the game by a per cent. We’d have played on anything.

Real Madrid will train after us. You will hear the same from Carlo [Ancelotti]. I have no idea how bad or good it is. You don’t care if you win. We will go on it and maybe it is fine. I hope no-one makes a story I am moaning. I am not.

More from Jürgen Klopp and he takes a question about the rumours linking Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich.

“Sadio’s in the shape of his life. The Bayern Munich rumours, I couldn’t care less about them. I have no concerns,” says Klopp with a shrug. “It’s not the first time before big games Bayern Munich rumours come up!”

Jürgen Klopp sits down to speak to the assembled press. This is the Liverpool manager’s fourth Champions League final.

He opens with: “Mood is good. Very good. Really excited to be here now.”

He also gives an update on the fitness of midfield duo Thiago and Fabinho.

“Looks good for both Thiago and Fabinho, Thiago trained yesterday with the team, Fabinho trained completely normal so we take it from there.”

One point worth mentioning is that this Champions League final takes place less than a week after the end of the Premier League.

That can be viewed as a negative in terms of trying to get players fit but in 2019 there was a three-week gap between Liverpool’s last league game and the final against Spurs. And, let’s be honest, that was a stinker. “Rhythm” is a big word in the Liverpool camp - Andy Robertson has just mentioned it in his press conference - and they had hardly any that night despite winning the game.

There was a two-week gap before Liverpool played Real Madrid in the 2018 final in Kiev.

Liverpool’s full-backs, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, are talking to the press now.

Liverpool’s Andy Robertson has been asked if he’s thought about emulating fellow left-back Alan Kennedy and scoring a winner for the Reds in a Paris final against Real Madrid. (PA Media)

As soon as we got to the final, there were a lot of people who sent me this (video) or said they were going to bet 1-0 Liverpool and me scoring.

I don’t think I have come across him (Kennedy). Maybe one day I will and we can talk about that goal and how he did it.

Obviously I cannot change history; he scored a wonderful goal that managed to win Liverpool the Champions League, if I do that, I do that. But I am more focused on trying to put in a good performance, trying to be solid defensively.

If we get a good basis then I will let someone else try and be the hero. That for me is the most important thing.

Out of interest, it’s nearly 180/1 for Robertson to score in 1-0 win.

Some scorer and assist stats for Liverpool and Real Madrid. That’s some tally from Benzema. Vinícius Júnior surprisingly ahead of Trent-Alexander Arnold in the assist charts.

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Top scorers in 2021/22 Champions League

15 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
13 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern)
11 Sébastien Haller (Ajax)
8 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
7 Christopher Nkunku (Leipzig)
7 Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
6 Leroy Sané (Bayern)
6 Kylian Mbappé (Paris)
6 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
6 Arnaut Danjuma (Villarreal)
6 Darwin Núñez (Benfica)
5 Lionel Messi (Paris)
5 Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)
5 Sadio Mané (Liverpool)
5 Rodrygo (Real Madrid)
4 Pedro Gonçalves (Sporting CP)
4 Antoine Griezmann (Atlético)
4 Thomas Müller (Bayern)
4 Timo Werner (Chelsea)
4 Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
4 Luis Díaz (Liverpool)

Most assists in 2021/22 Champions League

7 Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
6 Leroy Sané (Bayern)
6 Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
5 Antony (Ajax)
4 Kylian Mbappé (Paris)
4 Luka Modrić (Real Madrid)
4 Gerard Moreno (Villarreal)
4 João Mário (Benfica)
4 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
4 Étienne Capoue (Villarreal)
4 Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

Want more on that 1981 final in Paris between Liverpool and Real Madrid? Steven Pye retells the story here.

“Bucks Fizz even won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 to continue the UK’s dominance on the European stage.” Very good point.

This is the sixth European Cup final to take place in Paris.

Arsenal lost to Barca in 2006 while Leeds were robbed in 1975.

1956 Real Madrid 4-3 Reims (Parc des Princes, Paris)
1975 Bayern 2-0 Leeds (Parc des Princes, Paris)
1981 Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid (Parc des Princes, Paris)
2000 Real Madrid 3-0 Valencia (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)
2006 Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)

Here’s Old Big Ears, won 13 times by Real Madrid and six times by Liverpool.

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It stands 73.5cm tall and weighs 7.5kg. “It may not be an artistic masterpiece but everybody in football is keen to get their hands on it,” creator Jürg Stadelmann told uefa.com. Come on Jürg, big it up a bit.

Saturday’s Champions League final referee is Clément Turpin. He’s no relation to Dick; I’m adamant about that. B’dum tschhh.

Seems to make sense giving a final in Paris to a Frenchman. The 39-year-old Burgundy-based official has taken charge of two French Cup finals at the Stade de France and keen ref spotters will have seen him at the last two Euros and the 2018 World Cup.

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Meet the team: Turpin will be assisted by countrymen Nicolas Danos and Cyril Gringore, while another Frenchman, Benoît Bastien, will be fourth official. The VAR role has been assigned to Jérôme Brisard (France), and he will be assisted by Willy Delajod (France) and two Italians, Massimiliano Irrati and Filippo Meli. (Source: uefa.com)

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has been speaking to uefa.com ahead of his fifth Champions League final. The 62-year-old Italian has won three of his previous four.

In my career in the Champions League, we have faced each other many times. The first time was in 1984, the final in Rom. I didn’t play because I was injured. Then, in 2005 and 2007, [when Ancelotti was AC Milan coach] and of course, the rivalry was accentuated during the period I worked at Everton. Now, we’ll face each other again. They have a great squad, they’re difficult to go up against. They play at a very high level, with great physicality, but it’s a pleasure to play against them in the final.

[In 2005,] that was the best any team I’ve coached ever played in a final. Unfortunately, in football there is that unpredictability which you can’t control. It’s difficult to explain. It’s difficult to explain how we scored twice in one minute in the 90th minute against [Manchester] City [in the semi-finals]. These things happen, and you have to accept it. You also don’t have to think about it too much. Football always offers [a chance of redemption], and that happened two years later [when AC Milan beat Liverpool in the 2007 final].

Ancelotti also discussed the concept of revenge.

Will Liverpool be out for revenge for the 2018 final loss to Madrid? Real Madrid are also looking for revenge because they lost a final against Liverpool in [the 1981 final in] Paris. I don’t think it [means much]. Two great teams will face each other, and the one with more courage and personality will win at the end.

Like I said, [Liverpool have] a lot of quality together, with high intensity and good organisation. They’re one of the best teams. [Jürgen Klopp is] a great coach. I have a good relationship with him. [He’s] A great coach who brought some new things to football with the intensity and offensive pressure [of his teams]. He’s doing a great job.

Harvey Elliott was in the crowd when Liverpool were beaten by Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final in Kiev. This time the boyhood Reds fan is part of the Liverpool squad.

The 19-year-old midfielder, who suffered a serious ankle injury at Leeds earlier in the season, returned to action in February and hopes to make the bench in Paris.

I am still supporting the team as a fan but to be able to say I’m going to be there as a player is a dream in itself. It is just going to be crazy.

I don’t know how it is going to feel because I’ve never experienced it before as a player, there are going to be so many emotions going through me.

I’m just going to need to put them aside and concentrate on the game. There is going to be that excitement but I’m just waiting if called upon, making sure I’m focused and ready.”

The experiences keep coming. To be able to say I’ve played and even been in matchday squads has been one of many of my dreams playing for Liverpool.

I don’t think I’ve played as much as I’ve wanted to since I’ve been back but hopefully there’s many more years to come of me playing football.

Hopefully we can top this season off and get one last bit of silverware. To win the trophy alone, let alone in my breakthrough season, would be a dream.

(Via PA Media)

Football Weekly Extra: If you’ve not heard it yet, the panel look ahead to the Champions League final and Barry reveals the very specific reason why he wants Huddersfield to lose at Wembley!

Wait, there’s more. Kevin Mackenzie adds: “I concur with the sentiment that Klopp’s wife Ulla is boss, but the presence of the liver bird next to the slogan is surely unmissable and adds another layer of complexity to the flag. Both Ulla and Liverpool are boss, which is coincidentally Jürgen’s own role within the context of the club, if not his own home. Very clever when you think about it.”