UCL final tactical analysis: How Liverpool and Real Madrid stack up

Liverpool and Real Madrid lock horns Saturday in the Champions League final. Here’s how they stack up tactically. 

Liverpool and Real Madrid have plenty in common. Both teams play an attack-minded 4-3-3, both teams love to score goals and both have their sights set on winning the Champions League final on Saturday at the Stade de France in Paris.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, poised to win a fourth UCL title, said Wednesday he’s still nervous going into any final.

“For me, the toughest moment is three or four hours before the match. You are not feeling well, physically,” he told reporters. “I’m sweating a lot, have an accelerated heart rate, negative thoughts creep in. But fortunately, all that stops once the game starts. There’s no medication, no pills for that, you just have to hang on.”

Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp addressed his legacy and how that might tie into this final.

“I don’t know what I want people to think about me. What I want to do for the club is set up a structure and a culture for now and after I leave because the right structure and the right culture should not depend on people; it should depend on the club,” he told UEFA.com. “If things are right, then it’s right, so keep using it in the future. So, that’s it. That’s my aim, really. OK, I only have the time to do that if we win things on that path.”

With Liverpool and Real Madrid poised to play a great final, here are three things to watch for in terms of tactics.

Liverpool a threat on set pieces

The Reds love to use dead ball situations to create scoring chances. Liverpool have tallied the most dead-ball goals in this season’s UCL (a total of eight) that includes four from corner kicks.

This will be put to the test in the final since Real Madrid’s defending of set-pieces has been top-notch. They have given up just one goal on a set-piece so far during the competition. Look for Real Madrid to avoid fouling Liverpool at the edges of the penalty area and to avoid giving up corners. That means Liverpool’s midfield will put even more pressure on Real’s backline.

It should also be noted that Liverpool won two trophies this season, the League Cup and FA Cup, both in a penalty-kick shootout. Should the final be decided on penalties, Liverpool will have the slight advantage.

Real Madrid love to score in the second half

Real Madrid reached the final highlighted by late drama. In the semifinals against Manchester City, Los Blancos scored the goals needed late in the game and in extra time to advance.

It’s true that late comebacks against Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Man City made Real both fun to watch and also giving them a never-say-die feel that Liverpool should take into consideration when it comes to shutting down the Real Madrid frontline.

Overall, Real love to score goals in the second half. Of the team’s 28 goals in the UCL, a staggering 20 of them have been scored in the second half. That means no matter what Liverpool does in the first half, don’t leave Real for dead until the final whistle.

Battle of playmakers

Liverpool have Mohamed Salah, one of the best scorers out there at the moment. He finished top scorer in the Premier League, but he’s also a playmaker who can help his teammates find the back of the net.

Salah has a pass completion rate of 80% in the Premier League. In the UCL, he has done even better, averaging 32 passes per game with a pass completion rate of 82%.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, feature veteran Luka Modric as their playmaker. He’s still got it at age 36 in that central midfield role. He has four assists in 11 UCL matches this season. In La Liga, he had a 90% completion rate with 11 assists. In the Champions League, Modric has averaged 62 passes with a completion rate of 90%.

The numbers seem to favor Modric, but Salah is currently in the best form of his life. He can both create and score given that he plays in a more advanced role, something Modric doesn’t do when Real reverts to a 4-2-3-1. In the end, It will come down to which strikers can finish off these passes.