“The group is doing well, we are all very excited and impatient. Thiago (Alcantara) will train tonight, it should be fine for him as for Fabinho, said Jürgen Klopp at a press conference, on the eve of the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Stade de France .
We are preparing for a fight against the most successful club in this competition, some of its players have lifted this trophy four times. If you take into account the history and the experience of the teams, the way Real have managed their comebacks this season, I think they are favourites. But when Liverpool are at the top of their game, we are very difficult to play. We are not here by surprise, we deserve our place. My concern is to be ourselves and be confident tomorrow because Madrid’s confidence is incredibly high. It’s football, you have to be sure of yourself to win.
Before the last training, the Reds coach expressed his skepticism about the choice to change the lawn of the Stade de France just before a match of this importance. “In general, when the lawn is new, it’s good news. But I don’t know if it’s a good idea to change the pitch the day before a match. It’s interesting (smiles). Both teams are technical and we all dream of a perfect pitch. The ball seems to bounce normally but I don’t know how good or bad this pitch is. If you win, you don’t care about the pitch.”
To bend Real, Liverpool will bet in particular on Sadio Mané. “He is in the form of his life, it is a pleasure to see him train and play, admires Klopp, also questioned about the rumors sending the Senegalese to Bayern Munich this summer. “We are focused on the match, this is not the time to talk about it. No matter where he plays next season, he will be a great player for his club. This is not the first time that rumors with Bayern Munich have surfaced before a final,” smiled the former Dortmund coach, referring to the 2013 Champions League final lost with Borussia against Bayern.
