Thibaut Courtois insists that Real Madrid will have an advantage over Liverpool ahead of their UEFA Champions League final showdown later this month.
Speaking to the media after Real Madrid’s stunning UEFA Champions League comeback against Manchester City (h/t AS via Sport Witness), Thibaut Courtois has claimed that his team will have an advantage over final opponents Liverpool.
Real Madrid have enjoyed a stunning 2021/22 campaign under Carlo Ancelotti. Having won the Spanish Supercup earlier this year, Los Blancos were crowned the champions of La Liga last weekend when they defeated Espanyol 4-0 at home.
On Wednesday, they pulled off a comeback for the ages in the Champions League as they managed to snatch victory from the clutches of defeat in the second leg of their semi-final tie against Manchester City to book a place in the finals, where they will face Liverpool. The Reds had to fight their way through a tricky encounter against Villarreal to qualify for the showpiece event in France.
Now, Courtois has claimed that Real Madrid will have an advantage over Liverpool heading into the final as they have already wrapped up their La Liga title win, whereas the Reds are still involved in the Premier League title race, which could become a distraction in their preparations for the showdown in Paris.
We’ll face @realmadrid in the #UCL final ? pic.twitter.com/8TXpOaN2d4
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 4, 2022
“This team, this club, is capable of anything. We kept believing until the end. We’ve knocked out some very big teams, who have spent a lot of money to try to win the Champions League. The path we’ve had… We know that at home, we can do everything, and we’re looking forward to getting back to a final,” Courtois said.
“When you reach a final, everyone has an enormous desire. Because when you win four, you want five to be a legend. When Madrid go to the finals, it’s to win them. We are happy, we have won the league, we have time to prepare for the final, an advantage we have over Liverpool who are playing in the league and have to give everything until the end.
“It’s the only advantage we can have. We can recover injured players and hope that we can win the final,” the Belgian shot-stopper added.
Apart from being involved in the Premier League title race, Liverpool also have to play Chelsea in the FA Cup final. So, Jurgen Klopp will be pushed to keep using his best players regularly, while Real Madrid can now opt to rest their key stars and ensure that everyone is in top shape for the Champions League final.
