Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has conceded that while his side cannot compete with Real Madrid in terms of experience, his squad possess plenty of qualities to compensate when the two teams clash in Kiev for the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday.
“They (Real Madrid) are more experienced, it’s a fact. If there would be an experience market, they should sell it because they would be even more rich than they are already,” Klopp admitted.
Los Blancos have won the continental competition three times in the last four years, while none of the current Liverpool squad have won the trophy even once.
And despite not looking particularly impressive, Zinedine Zidane’s men have reached the final for the third year on the trot and that has lead many to claim that the Spanish giants are favourites for the showdown in Ukraine.
“Experience is very important in life but not the only important thing in life. There are a few other things, especially in football. I know that. It’s an advantage to be more experienced but you can level it with desire, with readiness, with attitude, with work-rate. You can level it. That’s what I love in football.”
Liverpool have not won a major trophy since Klopp’s arrival in 2015, but have transformed into world-beaters under the German’s guidance and are among the most exciting teams in club football at the moment.
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“We have our own experience; not that positive an experience that we won the last two finals but we made our own experience. That’s good as well.”
A vast majority of Real’s squad has remained the same over the past four seasons and they do possess several world-class talents like Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric as it is.
“We are not as long together with this group as Real Madrid because they not only won the last two, they played these finals pretty much with the same team all the time. That is very special. So as a group they are very strong. That’s all a fact.”
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“But it’s still football and we have a chance. That’s why I think: let’s give it a try. Let’s go there and try to perform on a level which maybe people would say is not possible for us, but it is possible. That’s exactly what we should do.”
The Champions League final takes place in Kiev, Ukraine on May 26.
“All the things we’ll need in the game we did already plenty of times during the Champions League campaign. Now we have to do it again against a really strong team,” the German tactician opined.