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The Football Thread

Xeno

By Xeno,
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VelivolusDas Mentor

VelivolusDas

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Signing a 34-year old. What year is it again? :lol:

 

Jokes apart, hoping he is good for us.

 

But what does this mean for Bellerin? I think he should be fine being the second choice for a season or two.

 

Whatever it is, I hope Bellerin doesn't go. He's got immense potential.

 

:panic: Man, this transfer season's gonna be :panic: for us Arsenal fans.

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Heaven Angel Grand Master

Heaven Angel

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This is it. Final matchday of the season.

 

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - FINAL

 

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Real Madrid vs. Liverpool

Time: 19:45

Venue: Kiev Olympic Stadium

 

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  • Zidane: "We'll never live this again"
  • Klopp: "It's in this club's DNA to win big things"
  • Reds beat Madrid in 1981 final in Paris
  • Real eyeing third consecutive triumph

Match background

  • Two of European club football's most famous names will meet at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium as Real Madrid CF look to lift the trophy for the 13th time – and the third season in a row – by overcoming a Liverpool FC side in a first final for 11 years and seeking their sixth European Cup overall.
  • Victory in Kyiv would make Real Madrid the fourth team to claim three successive European crowns – and the first to do it twice, following their victories in the first five European Cup finals between 1956 and 1960. AFC Ajax (1971–73) and FC Bayern München (1974–76) are the only other clubs to have lifted the trophy three years running.
  • Madrid's Zinédine Zidane could also become the first coach to win three European Cups in a row, having become the first to win the UEFA Champions League in consecutive seasons in 2017.
  • Success in Kyiv would make it five UEFA Champions League triumphs for the competition's record goalscorer, Cristiano Ronaldo – another first. Ronaldo would become only the fifth player to appear in five European Cup final victories, and the first in the UEFA Champions League era, should he feature and Madrid triumph; the other four players are Madrid trio Paco Gento (the only player to appear in six final victories), Alfredo Di Stéfano and José María Zárraga, plus AC Milan's Paolo Maldini.
  • The fixture is a repeat of the 1981 European Cup final, won 1-0 by Liverpool in Paris to give them a third triumph in the competition in five years. That was Madrid's last defeat in the final of this competition.
  • That 1981 victory is also the only time an English club has prevailed against Spanish opposition in a European Cup final. Liga clubs have won the other three meetings, FC Barcelona beating Arsenal FC 2-1 in 2006 and Manchester United FC in both 2009 (2-0) and 2011 (3-1). 
  • This is the ninth time two clubs have met for a second time in the European Cup final – and the third season in a row, after Real Madrid's 2016 win against Club Atlético de Madrid, beaten by their neighbours in the 2014 final, and last year's defeat of Juventus, who had also succumbed to the Merengues in 1998. This is Madrid's fourth final rematch, and they have won all three previous such encounters; they also beat Stade de Reims in 1956 and 1959.
  • The sides have met on five previous occasions, all in the European Cup, with Liverpool winning three of those fixtures and Madrid two. The English club have scored six goals; Madrid have managed four.

Team background

 

Real Madrid

 

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  • Real Madrid's record in Kyiv is P4 W1 D2 L1 F6 A7, all four games coming in the UEFA Champions League against FC Dynamo Kyiv. Their last two trips both ended 2-2 in the group stage in November 2004 – a game in which Zidane played – and 2006. They lost 2-0 on their first visit in the 1998/99 quarter-finals, a young Andriy Shevchenko scoring both goals, before a 2-1 second group stage win the following season, Fernando Morientes and Raúl on target.
  • Madrid's European season started with a victory against Premier League opposition, 2-1 against Manchester United FC in the UEFA Super Cup in Skopje on 8 August. They drew 1-1 at home to Tottenham Hotspur FC on matchday three, but a 12-match unbeaten run (W8 D4) against English opposition was ended by a 3-1 loss in the reverse fixture on 1 November. That was Madrid's first defeat against a team from England since their 4-0 loss at Liverpool in March 2009.
  • Zidane's side have scored in their last 29 UEFA matches, their most recent blank coming against English opposition – a goalless draw against Manchester City FC in the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg.
  • The Spanish club's overall record against English sides is W15 D11 L11 F52 A43.
  • Madrid's record in this season's competition is W8 D2 L2 F30 A15. They have kept only three clean sheets in 12 matches, but have found the net in their last 27 UEFA Champions League outings.
  • Zidane's charges finished second in Group H this season, collecting 13 points. They beat Paris Saint-Germain 5-2 on aggregate in the round of 16 (3-1 home, 2-1 away).
  • Madrid reached the last four in dramatic circumstances, winning 3-0 in the quarter-final first leg at Juventus only to fall three goals behind in the Bernabéu return – before Ronaldo converted an added-time penalty to take them through. That 3-1 defeat at the Bernabéu ended Madrid's 18-match unbeaten home run in the UEFA Champions League (W15 D3).
  • The Spanish side then ousted FC Bayern München in the semi-finals, winning 2-1 in Germany and progressing thanks to a 2-2 home draw.
  • The 3-1 defeat at home to Juventus in the quarter-final second leg is only Madrid's third in their last 31 European fixtures, winning 21 and drawing seven. Those draws include the 2016 final against Atlético Madrid, which Madrid won on penalties in Milan.
  • This season Ronaldo became the first player to score in all six group games, registering nine goals overall. He also struck in each leg of both the last 16 and the quarter-final, meaning he had scored in every European game this season before drawing a blank in both legs of the semi-final; he is the competition's top scorer with 15 goals. The only player to have bettered that total is Ronaldo himself, with 17 goals in 2013/14 and 16 in 2015/16.
  • Madrid's shoot-out record in European competition is W2 L2: 5-3 v Club Atlético de Madrid, 2015/16 UEFA Champions League final 1-3 v FC Bayern München, 2011/12 UEFA Champions League semi-final 3-1 v Juventus, 1986/87 European Cup second round 10 Real Madrid CF - Liverpool FC Saturday 26 May 2018 - 20.45CET (21.45 local time) Match press kit NSC Olimpiyskiy, Kyiv 5-6 v FK Crvena zvezda, 1974/75 European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final

Liverpool

 

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  • Liverpool's record in two visits to Kyiv is W1 D1 L0 F3 A2. Danny Murphy and Steven Gerrard struck as a Reds team coached by Phil Thompson, with manager Gérard Houllier absent for health reasons, won 2-1 against Dynamo at the Dynamo Stadium in the 2001/02 UEFA Champions League first group stage. Rafael Benítez's side then drew 1-1 with Maccabi Haifa FC at the same venue – by that time renamed the Valeriy Lobanovskiy Stadium – in the third quliafying round of the 2006/07 competition, Peter Crouch their scorer to complete a 3-2 aggregate triumph.
  • The Reds have already faced Spanish opposition this season, drawing home (2-2) and away (3-3) with Sevilla FC; they let slip a 3-0 half-time lead in the second game in Spain.
  • A 3-0 home win against Villarreal CF in the 2015/16 UEFA Europa League semi-final is Liverpool's only success in their last seven fixtures against Spanish clubs (D2 L4) – a sequence that includes that 2016 UEFA Europa League final loss to Sevilla.
  • Overall, the Merseyside club's record against Spanish sides is W14 D12 L11 F46 A38. They have won only one of their last seven fixtures against Liga clubs outside England – that 2009 success at Real Madrid.
  • Liverpool's unbeaten record in this season's competition was ended by the 4-2 defeat at AS Roma in the semi-final second leg, the Reds progressing 7-6 on aggregate. Their record since matchday one is now W7 D4 L1 F40 A13.
  • Liverpool finished first in Group E this season with 12 points, beating NK Maribor 7-0 away and FC Spartak Moskva by the same scoreline at home. FC Porto were overcome 5-0 in the away first leg and on aggregate in the round of 16, before a 5-1 defeat of Manchester City over the two legs of the quarter-finals (3-0 home, 2-1 away).
  • Including qualifying, Liverpool have scored 46 goals in 14 games this season, at an average of 3.29 goals per game – surpassing Barcelona's record of 45 from 1999/2000. Discounting the Reds' haul of six against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in the play-offs they are on 40 goals, behind Real Madrid's 41 (2013/14), a record for a 13-match season, and Barcelona, who scored 45 in 2002/03 – although Barcelona played 16 games that season. Liverpool's 12-match average of 3.33 goals per game is higher than that of both sides.

Match Facts

  • Cristiano Ronaldo has made 152 appearances in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final, taking him one above Xavi Hernández. Only Iker Casillas (167) has made more.
  • Ronaldo's run of scoring in every game in this season's competition – a run of ten matches, 11 including last season's final – ended in the semi-final first leg. He has nevertheless scored 25 goals in his last 17 UEFA Champions League games, and is the sole Madrid player to have played every minute in this season's competition.
  • Ronaldo has scored 15 goals in this season's competition – five more than any other player. He has had 33 shots on target and 33 shots off target, both also competition highs.
  • Marcelo has scored in all three knockout ties this season; the full-back's last five UEFA Champions League goals have all come in the knockout rounds.
  • Madrid's 2-2 draw with Villarreal CF on 19 May, having been two goals up, meant they finished third in the Liga, three points behind second-placed Club Atlético de Madrid and 17 adrift of champions FC Barcelona.
  • Ronaldo and Gareth Bale were on target at Villarreal; Ronaldo has scored in his last ten Liga matches – a total of 18 goals – while Bale has eight goals in eight league appearances. Ronaldo finished with 26 goals in this season's Spanish league, second only to Lionel Messi (34).
  • Goalkeeper Luca Zidane made his senior Madrid debut at Villarreal.
  • Madrid have won only one of their last five games in all competitions, drawing three.
  • Zinédine Zidane's side have scored two or more goals in each of their last seven fixtures.
  • The Merengues have kept only one clean sheet in their last 11 games in all competitions.
  • The 1-0 defeat at RCD Espanyol on 27 February is the last game in which Madrid failed to score, and the only one of their last 28 fixtures in which they failed to find the net; they have scored in their last 17 games.
  • Nacho has not played since 31 March due to a muscle injury. Dani Carvajal had to be replaced during the semi-final first leg against Bayern with a hamstring injury, returning on 19 May.
  • Ronaldo picked up an ankle problem in the 2-2 draw at FC Barcelona on 6 May, returning at Villarreal. Isco was out between 25 April and 12 May with a shoulder problem.
  • Madrid lifted the FIFA Club World Cup for the second year in a row – and the third time in four years – with a 1-0 defeat of Brazil's Grêmio FBPA on 17 December. Ronaldo scored the winner having also been on target in the 2-1 semi-final win against Al Jazira Club of the UAE.
  • Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Nacho, Isco, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vázquez have been included in Spain's provisional FIFA World Cup squad.
  • The semi-final second leg was Liverpool's 100th game in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final. They were the 18th club to reach that landmark, and the fourth from England. Their record is W47 D30 L23.
  • Liverpool are the top scorers in this season's UEFA Champions League with 40 goals, also a record for an English club. Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino (both ten goals) and Sadio Mané (nine) have contributed 29 of those; only Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15, has scored more goals than the three Liverpool players. 12
  • James Milner set a new UEFA Champions League record with his assist in the semi-final first leg – his ninth in this season's competition.
  • Liverpool finished fourth in this season's Premier League, concluding their campaign with a 4-0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion FC at Anfield on 13 May.
  • Liverpool have failed to score in only five of their last 29 matches in all competitions, most recently the 1-0 loss at Chelsea FC on 6 May.
  • The Reds have lost two of their last three fixtures, having been beaten in only one of the previous 17 (W11 D5).
  • Jürgen Klopp's side have kept 11 clean sheets in their last 20 fixtures.
  • Salah established a new record for a 38-game Premier League season with 32 goals – including one against Brighton. That ended a run of three games without a goal for the Egyptian, his longest scoreless sequence this season.
  • Salah has scored 44 club goals in all competitions this season – the highest total for a Liverpool player since Ian Rush's club record of 47 set in 1983/84.
  • Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain suffered knee ligament damage in the semi-final first leg while Emre Can has been sidelined since 17 March with a back injury.
  • Joël Matip picked up a thigh injury at Crystal Palace FC on 31 March and has not played since. Adam Lallana came on as a substitute at Palace but lasted only five minutes before being replaced due to a hamstring injury; he returned as a substitute against Brighton.
  • Joe Gomez has been out since 28 April with an ankle problem.
  • Nathaniel Clyne made his first appearance since 21 May 2017 at Everton FC on 7 April after a long-standing back injury. He went on to make two further league appearances and featured as a late substitute in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final and semi-final second legs.
  • On 13 May, Salah was named the Premier League Player of the Season. He was also selected as the Professional Football Association's Player of the Year and Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year.
  • The uncapped Trent Alexander-Arnold has been included in England's squad for this summer's FIFA World Cup. Jordan Henderson is also involved, with Lallana one of five players on standby

BT Sports Live Stream will be available on Youtube.

 

May the best win. Vq6g1ns.gif Vq6g1ns.gif 

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Heaven Angel Grand Master

Heaven Angel

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1 hour ago, VelivolusDas said:

A slight part of me wants Liverpool to win, but above all, hoping it's a good and entertaining match.

 

Same. Can't stand either but I'd see Liverpool win over Madrid. ?

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Heaven Angel Grand Master

Heaven Angel

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1 hour ago, VelivolusDas said:

A slight part of me wants Liverpool to win, but above all, hoping it's a good and entertaining match.

 

Same. Can't stand either but I'd see Liverpool win over Madrid. ?

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Heaven Angel Grand Master

Heaven Angel

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Hurr durr typical derp Madrid. ?? 

 

Watch Ronaldo tap in and Ramos to finish it off at 90th minute. 

 

Tough luck for anyone playing against them. Good half. With Salah the team was playing much better. Once he went down, the game momentum changed. 

 

Going to be an interesting 2nd half. 

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Clenched_Balls Newbie

Clenched_Balls

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Hurr durr typical derp Madrid. ?? 

 

Watch Ronaldo tap in and Ramos to finish it off at 90th minute. 

 

Tough luck for anyone playing against them. Good half. With Salah the team was playing much better. Once he went down, the game momentum changed. 

 

Going to be an interesting 2nd half. 

Pretty sure Klopp's gonna get the team organised for the second half. Will be interesting, while scumbags Ramos and Zidane will have talks on who to headbutt, if need be.

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

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