Liverpool’s 3-3 draw against Sevilla in their last match of the group stage, in which they blew a 3-0 halftime lead, foreshadowed their Champions League knockout stage strategy. Jurgen Klopp’s side would score goals in bunches early in matches, then try to hold onto their advantage the rest of the way. After beating Porto 5-0 on aggregate in the round of 16, they blitzed Manchester City 3-0 in the opening 31 minutes. In the semifinals, they went up 5-0 against Roma in the first 80 minutes, then gave up six goals in the next 100 minutes before winning 7-6 on aggregate. In total, they’ve scored 40 goals in 12 Champions League matches. 

Running through each side’s potential starting XI, Liverpool’s defense and midfield look outmatched on an individual level against Real Madrid. But that is the art of Klopp building a side whose sum is bigger than its parts. They will press Real Madrid’s midfield with energy and physicality, looking to draw their Spanish opponents in to hit out on counter attacks. The finals will be decided on whether those intense moments of pressing and transitions will be enough to last Real Madrid inevitably controlling possession and tempo of the match.

Below are five Liverpool players key to their success on Saturday. 

Mo Salah: The 25-year-old winger turned international icon, Salah has scored 10 goals in this season’s Champions League. His opening goal in the first leg against Manchester City displayed how quickly Liverpool can go from defending in their own half to attacking their opposition final third. His opener against Roma shows his long range accuracy. Poaching off defensive mistakes, on through balls off counter attacks, or long range efforts, Salah can finish them all.  

Slotting in on the right side of a three-player attack, Salah will be directly engaged in a one on one battle with left back Marcelo. He may be tasked with marking Marcelo as the Brazilian plays a significant role in Real Madrid’s attack, but Zinedine Zidane could also order Marcelo to play conservatively along the halfway line thus closing off any potential space for Salah in transition. This matchup on the wing will shape the flow and tempo of the match for both sides.

James Milner: You can imagine the trivia question 30 years from now: what player held the Champions League record for most assists in a single campaign? In recording his ninth assist of the tournament in the first leg against Roma, Milner leapt past Wayne Rooney and Neymar into European history. No player embodies Klopp’s spirit, commitment and teamwork like Milner. While many of his teammates are in their early to mid-20’s, Milner has finally found his top form at age 32.

Of course, Milner is not on the technical level of Real Madrid’s midfield combination of Isco, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro. Yet to only define the match in terms of technique would be missing the story with this Liverpool season. Milner, alongside Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and Emre Can playing next to him, won’t match their counterparts in terms of silky passing sequences. But they will press, they will tackle, and they will run. We knew Milner was a committed, versatile player, but he’s added another dimension in finding his front three with the ball in transitions. Liverpool will likely cede possession in the finals, but Milner only needs a single moment to turn defense into attack.

Andy Robertson: Alberto Moreno, Liverpool’s starting left back in the 3-3 draw against Sevilla, took much of the blame for his side’s “brainless” defending in the second half of the match. The aftermath gave the 24 year old Robertson, signed from Hull City last summer for a bargain $11 million, an opportunity to hold down the starting left back position. Playing amateur football in Scotland just five years ago, his rags to riches footballing rise represents another example of Klopp’s overachieving side. And while he benefits from playing alongside Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool have exhibited defensive solidity late in matches, the Roma second leg aside. 

Both he and right back Trent Alexander-Arnold must keep their discipline in defending Gareth Bale, Lucas Vazquez, and Marco Asensio in transition. As quickly as Liverpool counter, Real Madrid showed their ruthlessness in transitions during Ronaldo’s opening goal in last year’s final against Juventus. Robertson’s one man pressing ability went viral but his positional discipline will be vital. He’s stated that the biggest problem in facing Real Madrid is that “they’re all fantastic”, and they become even greater when given space.    

Loris Karius: The 24-year-old German began the season by alternating starting roles with Simon Mignolet. His development not only saved his Liverpool career, but also literally saved Liverpool millions as their previously rumored pursuit of Roma’s Alisson has gone quiet. In contrast with Keylor Navas stable career for Real Madrid, Karius is still an improving yet untested wildcard in net.

Giving up six goals against Roma is not the best example in describing his quality. The German plays the sweeper keeper role in Liverpool’s high line, and he must close down potential counter attacks coming from Real Madrid’s wings. He will need to make decisive saves against Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Bale, amongst others. The previous two finals matchups featured Navas against Gigi Buffon and Jan Oblak. Nowhere near the name recognition of his peers, Karius keeps up the theme of the underdog punching up in an energetic whirlwind. And he must rise to the occasion, just like his youthful teammates.

Roberto Firmino: If Salah earns international plaudits as the goalscorer, it’s the 26-year-old Firmino who creates opportunities and space for the front three to tick. From that perspective, Firmino draws comparison to his Real Madrid counterpart Benzema. Both positioned centrally and labeled as strikers, their value comes from not only scoring goals but in creating goals for teammates. In Salah’s second goal against Roma, it was Firmino who picked up a loose ball at midfield, drove into Roma’s half and laid off a through ball for Salah. He also displayed his poaching skills in getting Liverpool’s fourth goal that match.  

His statistics do not tell the complete story of his impact, but Firmino’s 10 goals and eight assists in this season’s Champions League campaign elevated him amongst neutral observers. The Brazilian will be responsible for pulling Ramos and Varane out of position for Sadio Mane and Salah to get behind their defensive line. And while he may not get one, any goal Liverpool scores in the finals will come through his link up play.

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Despite being out of contention for La Liga and Copa del Rey for months in what has categorically been a disappointing season, Real Madrid has managed to do what it does best and that’s put itself in a spot to win the Champions League for the 13th time in club history and for the third consecutive season. Since ending their 32-year Champions League drought in 1998, Real Madrid are six-for-six in the final.

Here are five key players for Real Madrid heading into the final:

Marcelo: In the previous two finals, Marcelo was identified as a key part of Real Madrid’s attack but this year it will be more about how he defends against Salah. There will undoubtledly still be times in this match where he looks like a No. 10 at left-back and try to exploit Trent Alexander-Arnold, but how he retreats back when Salah has the opportunity to get out into space will largely dictate the quality of Liverpool’s chances.

Toni Kroos: No player on Real Madrid has more experience playing against a Jurgen Klopp side than Kroos. Kroos explained to the media leading to the final what Real Madrid can expect from Liverpool: "They will be 11 animals, all up for it. We might be better on the ball but they're going to put us under pressure for 90 minutes and will be at 100 percent or even more."

Kroos and Luka Modric will need to set the tempo when Real Madrid has possession, especially when first winning the ball and there’s chaos.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Ronaldo has referenced how Liverpool’s attacking trio of Salah, Mane and Firmino reminds him of himself, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema circa 2014. The BBC were more skilled and more athletic than everybody back then, which acts as a stark reminder of how much this Real Madrid team has evolved since then. Ronaldo operates in the box and rarely looks to operate as a true winger anymore out in space and is more dependent on build-up play than he’s ever been in his entire career. Ronaldo has been clinical this season in the Champions League this season and has a great goal tally in finals, scoring in 2008 with Manchester United, a 120th minute pile-on goal in 2014 against Atleti, the match clinching penalty kick in 2016 against Atleti and twice last season against Juventus.

Sergio Ramos: As much as Ronaldo has defined this era of Real Madrid, Ramos has been at the center of everything. Ramos has a penchant for clutch goals like his stoppage time goal in 2014 to tie up their match against Atleti but he just as famously has had lapses of judgment on his challenges leading to red cards. The intangibles Ramos brings and his responsibility in keeping the back line organized against Salah, Mane and Firmino will be essential.

Keylor Navas: Navas was always supposed to be a bridge keeper after Iker Casillas left before they ended up with David de Gea, Thibaut Courtois, Kepa Arrizbalaga, etc., all of whom are more glamorous and highly regarded than him. But Navas has proven himself in plenty of big matches, with his performance against Bayern in the second leg of the Champions League most recently.