Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has warned Real Madrid his team will be “on fire” for the Champions League final in Kiev.
The Reds go in as slight underdogs with the Spanish giants looking to become the first side since Bayern Munich in 1976 to win three consecutive Champions Leagues.
Zinedine Zidane’s side have retained a core group of players including Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, who have all been involved in lifting their past three European titles in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
But having seen off the challenge of Roma 7-6 over the two legs of the semifinal, Klopp and Co. head to Ukraine in confident mood and have told Real to watch out.
“You cannot be more experienced in this competition than Real Madrid,” the Liverpool boss said.
“I think 80 percent of their team played all these finals. They are four times in the last five years and still together. They are experienced, we are not, but we will be really on fire.”
If the Reds do win it would end a six-year trophy drought and be their first piece of silverware under Klopp’s management, having lost the finals of the League Cup and Europa League in 2016.
“We were in a League Cup final and didn’t win it,” Klopp said.
“People don’t tell me in the street since then: ‘Thank you for bringing us to the final.’ We were in the Europa League final too. Nobody tells me thank you.
“I see no trophies after these games. They don’t hang silver medals at (the Liverpool training ground) Melwood. That’s a pity, but that’s the game. There’s still a job to do.”
Bullish Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp tells Real Madrid to watch out
Bullish Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp tells Real Madrid to watch out
- Liverpool on a high after beating Roma to make it to the final in Kiev.
- Real Madrid, looking for three titles in a row, start as the slight favorites.
Tudor says turning round Tottenham his hardest job
- Spurs’ woeful run of form under Thomas Frank saw the Dane sacked earlier this month
- Tudor, asked Thursday if this was his biggest rescue job, replied: “Probably, if I see, if I recognize the difficulties there are, probably, yes”
LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur interim head coach Igor Tudor says ensuring the club avoid relegation from the Premier League represents the hardest challenge of his career.
Spurs’ woeful run of form under Thomas Frank saw the Dane sacked earlier this month, with Tudor brought in to replicate the kind of mid-season recovery he managed with Italian sides Juventus and Lazio.
Tottenham last played outside the English top flight in the 1977/78 season and Tudor’s first game in charge ended in a 4-1 derby defeat to north London rivals and league leaders Arsenal on Sunday.
This latest loss extended Tottenham’s winless league run to nine matches and made it only two wins from their last 18 in the division.
Spurs are now 16th in the table and just four points above the bottom three ahead of Sunday’s match away to Fulham.
Tudor, asked Thursday if this was his biggest rescue job, replied: “Probably, if I see, if I recognize the difficulties there are, probably, yes. It’s even a bigger challenge, even a bigger motivation to do this and we do it.”
He added the role was harder than he envisaged, but stressed work on the training ground can spark a revival.
“Probably yes,” Tudor said. “Yes, very tough, but it’s what I said before, I don’t change my opinion, it is how it is, so, daily work, focus, raising in all things we need to do, physical condition, mental confidence, performance and waiting for the players to come back.
“We need to be focused on us, what we can do, less thinking about others, that’s always good and it will be good.”
Spurs will discover their Champions League opponents for the last 16 on Friday, but Tudor promised to waste no “energy” on European fixtures with either Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray.
“I don’t think too much about the draw,” he said. “It won’t change for me nothing.”
The Croatian will be buoyed by the return of defender Kevin Danso and full-back Pedro Porro for Sunday’s fixture at Craven Cottage.
