Champions League Final 2022 Preview
We are mere hours away from the most important club match of the year. Two European giants, battle-tested and worn out after a long and trying season. Yet there is no bigger stage than this one. The Champions League Final in 2022 will take place in Paris and will display the impressive Jurgen Klopp and his men in red taking on Carlo Ancelotti’s army in white. Liverpool vs Real Madrid. A game for the ages to end one of the finest Champions Leagues in recent history.
On paper, it really does seem like a completely even match and one that will be sure to entertain. Courtois and Allison are as good as they come so it’s really hard to differentiate much between the keepers. Looking at their backlines, I feel comfortable saying Virgil Van Dijk and Joel Matip provide a better sense of security than David Alaba and Militao. However the wingbacks are where it gets tricky as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Klopp’s Swiss army knife, will likely be a catalyst for the Reds’ best attacks and Andy Robertson is no stranger either to contributing on the offensive either. Both of the Liverpool wingbacks have been exposed defensively at times though. Ferland Mendy and Dani Carvajal although not exactly an offensive juggernaut of a pairing, provide great stability for Madrid on the touchlines.
The midfield battle will truly be one of the most enjoyable parts of the game. Casemiro and Fabinho, the two Brazil internationals and rocks of their respective teams, will be fighting against one another just a few months before they’ll start training to win the World Cup together. Mainstay playmakers like Thiago for Liverpool and Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will always make their presence felt in these big games. However, the player I’m most excited to see is probably Jordan Henderson with his creativity and elegant dribbling. Just kidding of course. I’d rather watch Tottenham highlights than willingly write positive things about Henderson. He’s really bad. Plain and simple. Bad enough that he could legitimately cost Liverpool the title singlehandedly tomorrow. Reds fans, pray that Hendo proves me wrong. The midfielder I am actually very excited to see is Eduardo Camavinga. The young Frenchman has been immense in Madrid’s deep Champions League run playing fantastic cameos in almost every important game. Look for him to come on in the second half and make a noticeable impact.
The attackers is all that anyone cares about tomorrow though isn’t it? Rightfully so I must say. There’s a good chance Vinicius Jr. has a field day in his 1 on 1 opportunities against the vulnerable Alexander Arnold. It will be up to Jurgen Klopp to devise some sort of strategy to ensure Vini Jr. is kept in check. That’s kind of hard to do though when you also have to worry about the best center forward in the world in Karim Benzema. Benzema is far and away the biggest X-factor on the pitch tomorrow and could truly snatch the game for Madrid himself like he’s done all tournament. Liverpool has just as much firepower to match Madrid in this phase of the game though don’t worry. Sadio Mane, Mo Solah, and likely Lucas Diaz are an extremely difficult trio to guard with their swift counter-attacks and endless off ball movement. Keeping these 3 in check will require a monumental effort from the Madrid defense.
Based on how much offensive firepower this game has, I really do think we’ll see a cracker of a game that could literally go any way possible. For my prediction I’ll say Madrid squeaks out a 3-2 victory in extra time over the Reds and leaves Liverpool fans with their second disappointment in the last couple weeks.
