At the point when Liverpool beat Real Madrid in the 1981 European Cup last in Paris, they did as such with an objective from left-back Alan Kennedy.
Yet again forty years on, the scene is unique - the Stade de France, not the Parc des Princes - yet the Liverpool full-backs could be vital.
The going after job of the full-back in the present football has been irrefutable and there could be no greater model in the European game than the Liverpool couple of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson, who are critical to the hostile side of the Reds' down.
A look at the measurements offers plentiful proof of their commitment to Liverpool's Uefa Champions League crusade. As well as four helps, Alexander-Arnold has finished more peevish (23) than some other player in the 2021/22 contest, while Robertson (two helps) positions joint-fourth in that classification with 16. For key passes, Robertson has 19 (joint-best among Liverpool's players with Mohamed Salah) and Alexander-Arnold 16.
The Uefa Champions League specialized report for 2019/20 singled out the Reds pair for their playmaking characteristics and, two years on, Alexander-Arnold has had more contacts than some other Liverpool player - 853 from eight matches, which is just 15 less than Luka Modric's all out from 12 counterparts for Madrid.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's heatmap of contacts across the 2021/22 Champions League
As the heatmap of Alexander-Arnold's contacts underlines, he is always engaged with the resistance half. David James, an ex-Anfield goalkeeper and Uefa's Technical Observer at the elimination round first-leg prevail upon Villarreal, to be sure noticed that Alexander-Arnold had "a moderately free job on the right side", taking up "forceful positions while going after" and in any event, springing up in the No 10 job.
Looking forward to Saturday night, this brings up a fascinating issue of whether Madrid can take advantage of the space in behind the full-backs, especially on Alexander-Arnold's side given it is to Madrid's left side that Karim Benzema and Vinícius Júnior have consolidated so really this season.
A perfect representation was the main objective of Real's quarterfinal triumph at Chelsea as Benzema dropped profound to trade passes with Toni Kroos and afterward did likewise with Vinícius; his return pass, a flick of the boot, sent the winger haring down the left as Benzema sped into the container to meet the subsequent cross with an exceptional header. It was one of four helps that the Brazilian has given Benzema, the competition's 15-objective driving scorer.
The heatmap of Benzema's contacts highlights the reality he is far beyond a goalscorer; a player who will likewise test Liverpool's cautious powers with his propensity for floating into wide regions to make two-versus ones preceding getting once more into the container to apply his completing abilities.
Karim Benzema's heatmap of contacts across the 2021/22 Champions League
Liverpool's set-piece danger
After Liverpool's FA Cup last win against Chelsea - won on punishments in a rehash of the clubs' League Cup last duel - director Jürgen Klopp committed that victory to the German neuroscience organization which, during pre-season, had worked with his players on set-piece circumstances.
That work has taken care of in consecutive homegrown cup finals and the inquiry currently is whether Liverpool can profit from their set-play ability in another last. They have the most dead-ball objectives in this season's Champions League - eight - and this all out incorporates four from corners. Both of their objectives against Inter in the round of 16 were from set plays. In the accompanying round, Ibrahima Konaté featured his ethereal danger with strikes from corners in the two legs against Benfica.
Considering this danger, Frans Hoek, spectator of their game at Inter, said: "When I see Liverpool, it's about the taker - and they have phenomenal takers - and afterward it's a mix of the right development in the right space. You can see they do that and have areas of strength for extremely with their head. It's likewise the second, third and fourth ball where they put prompt tension."
This last point is telling. Back in 2018/19 the Uefa Champions League specialized report featured Salah's five shots on objective from set-plays cleared to the edge of the punishment box. This season, Roberto Firmino, Thiago Alcántara and Salah himself have all hit objectives from the 'second period' of set plays.
Spreading the heap
10: Liverpool players to find the net in transit to the last, contrasted and six from Madrid.
To make things abundantly clear, Madrid's shielding of set-pieces in this season's opposition has been strong, with only one objective yielded from a corner - to Chelsea's Antonio Rüdiger. Be that as it may, they should, in all seriousness be doubly pre-arranged come Saturday.
Quick beginning
In the midst of the fantastic late show that Madrid have prearranged on their way to this last, they have additionally tried to have an early effect in coordinates with creative start up schedules. At home against Paris, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Marco Asensio delivered a smooth mix in the middle circle, which finished with Asensio almost tracking down Vinícius Jr with a through-ball.
Carlo Ancelotti's men drew even nearer on the restart of their home leg against Man City. Kroos finished up a trade of passes in the middle circle with a slanting ball behind the City backline for Dani Carvajal to pursue on to and cross low to Vinícius, who should have scored at the back post.
On the off chance that they didn't get their compensation for creativity on those two events they scored in no less than ten seconds of a Paris start off in the second leg of their round of 16 tie. Three white shirts went in moment quest for the ball as Paris restarted at 2-1; they won it back and, instantly, Benzema had his full go-around.
Assuming that there were an early objective from one or the other side - and remember Liverpool got one following 107 seconds when they were rearward in the last - one thing not in uncertainty would be the capacity of the resistance to return. There are seemingly no different sides in Europe with more prominent mental strength than Liverpool and Madrid at the present time. Klopp considered his group the "mindset beasts" after their 3-2 elimination round succeed at Villarreal.
Liverpool v Real Madrid: Their past gatherings
Concerning Real, their fightbacks against Paris, Chelsea and Manchester City make sense of why Uefa eyewitness Roberto Martínez put the profound element at the core of their outcome in getting this far. "It is that triumphant culture when you put on that shirt - you hope to win," he said. The reality the two groups hold such conviction ought to make Saturday's challenge all the seriously captivating.
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