The atmosphere of great European evenings took hold of the Stade de France on Friday 27 May. On the eve of the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool, which was originally scheduled to take place in Saint Petersburg and was eventually relocated to Paris due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Reds and Merengues last trained on Friday. Before aiming for the Big Ears Cup on Saturday.
As fans flocked to the capital in droves, it was in front of many journalists present for the occasion and under the eyes of several legends of the game – Fernando Hierro, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Owen, to name a few. them -, that gathered the actors of the final of Saturday evening. They tamed the new lawn of the Stade de France, installed in a record time of 48 hours after the Indochina concert, Saturday May 20.
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This new lawn has been the subject of criticism, in particular from Jürgen Klopp, the coach of the Reds, in a press conference: “Usually, when a lawn is new, it’s good news. But this is not one […] Someone thought it was a good idea to install a new lawn a day before the final. It’s an interesting idea. But it doesn’t affect my morale.“
A few minutes later, his players carried out a very light training session on this lawn of discord. In joy and good spirits, bringing out the unity that has enabled this team to win the FA Cup and the League Cup this season. Finally, to get an idea of what Saturday’s match could look like on this new pitch, you had to attend the training of Clément Turpin and his fellow referees, then the confrontation carried out by the Real players. And the ball seems to circulate normally and bounce well on the lawn.
It’s time for Liverpool’s training session. Fabinho and Thiago are there. #UCLfinal #LIVRMA pic.twitter.com/Ms89roCSul
— Denis Menetrier (@DMenetrier) May 27, 2022
On the game side, Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho were present, even if the first left earlier at the end of training. Real is on its side in full. In 2018, the Madrid club won the final against the Reds in kyiv. A match that has been the subject of many questions from the side of Liverpool. “Kyiv is ancient history“, assured Andy Robertson, the side of the Reds.
“We haven’t forgotten what happened back then, but we can’t go back to it. We have so many reasons to give it our all tomorrow night (Saturday). It’s one of the reasons, but it’s not the only one.“, explained for his part Klopp. No question was however asked about this final on the side of Real Madrid, which has won the Champions League four times over the last eight years.
Present in training, Karim Benzema was welcomed by “Karim, Golden Ball” intoned by the UEFA volunteers present at the Stade de France. The striker and captain of Real was not at a press conference, unlike Marcelo and Thibaut Courtois. “We had a great season and we deserve to be in the final“, supported Marcelo. Carlo Ancelotti, also present, underlined the importance of “take advantage of the moment, until the kick-off of the meeting“.
Karim Benzema welcomed by “Karim, Ballon d’or”, intoned by UEFA volunteers. Real Madrid training can begin. #UCLfinal #LIVRMA pic.twitter.com/PTIs1pcRmG
— Denis Menetrier (@DMenetrier) May 27, 2022
The Italian has won four Champions Leagues and could become the first manager to win the competition five times from the bench. Winner of the competition thirteen times, Real Madrid is aiming for a fourteenth victory, while Liverpool is aiming for its eighth. A game of titans that should keep all its promises. Around the Stade de France, the agitation was already in place on Friday. On Saturday, when the match kicks off, the atmosphere will be even more beautiful, with 40,000 Real and Liverpool supporters expected.