Champions League final preview: Liverpool vs Real Madrid – where to watch, kick-off time, starting line-ups, form guide

Liverpool and Real Madrid meet in the 2022 UEFA Champions League final on Saturday 28 May.

TV channels and where to watch the Champions League final

Find your local UEFA Champions League broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

You've got yourselves some final here. Liverpool are enjoying a remarkable season despite narrowly missing out an unprecedented quadruple on Sunday. Perennial Premier League rivals Manchester City aside, they've consistently been top of the class for every assignment sent their way.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, may have already been crowned Spanish champions, but their European campaign defies both belief and description after a series of stellar comebacks. Their journey to this point could fill a novel, and the final chapter is yet to be written.

Starting line-ups

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Mané, Luis Díaz

Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Éder Militão, Alaba, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Modrić; Valverde, Benzema, Vinícius Júnior

Form guide

Liverpool
Route to final: Group B winners, 2-1 agg vs Inter (R16), 6-4 agg vs Benfica (QF), 5-2 agg vs Villarreal (SF)
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WWDWDW
Where they finished: 2nd in Premier League, FA Cup winners, League Cup winners

Real Madrid
Route to final: Group D winners, 3-2 agg vs Paris (R16), 5-4 agg vs Chelsea (QF), 6-5 agg vs Man. City (SF)
Form (all competitions, most recent first): DDWLWW
Where they finished: Liga champions

European Cup final pedigree – how many cups have Liverpool and Real Madrid won?

Liverpool
European Cup final record: P9 W6 L3 F13 A11
Most recent appearance: 2019, Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham

Real Madrid
European Cup final record: P16 W13 L3 F42 A23
Most recent appearance: 2018, Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool

Expert predictions

Matthew Howarth, Liverpool reporter
Liverpool may have shown signs of tiredness of late, but despite conceding first in each of their final four Premier League games they still managed to collect ten points. Pipped to the league title by Manchester City, the Reds now have the chance to cap an otherwise phenomenal campaign with their third trophy of 2021/22.

Jürgen Klopp, by his own admission, has never had a stronger squad to play with during his Anfield tenure. Luis Díaz, the latest addition to the German’s multi-talented ensemble, played a starring role in the semi-final and could do so again in Paris.

Joseph Walker, Madrid reporter
Here we are once again. What is it with Madrid and this competition? Granted, this season they have chanced their arm a few times, but their resilience, grit and determination have ensured they live up to old club saying 'El Madrid nunca se rinde' (Madrid never gives up).

They have been indebted to Karim Benzema’s stunning campaign, while youngster Rodrygo has been the very definition of a 'clutch' player in the big games. With Liverpool looking fatigued – not to mention coach Carlo Ancelotti's brilliant record – Madrid have a wonderful opportunity to make it 14 European Cups.

View from the camps

Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool coach: "Outstanding, massive – it feels like the first one because it's always so special. The mood is good, very good. We’re really excited about being here now and getting a feeling for the stadium and the occasion. History will tell us what people say about us, but I'm very proud of what we've done so far.

"They’re the most decorated club in the competition. Some of their players can win it for a fifth time and the manager can win it for the fourth time. We can’t buy that experience, but we’re here for the third time in five years – that’s special. We’re not thinking about how it will feel to win. Being 'us' at the highest level would be really cool."

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool right-back: "We embrace these occasions; these are the occasions which are in your mind when you're working hard behind the scenes. We're excited to be here, we feel we deserve to be here. This is THE game of the season; to be here is good but to win it would be even better."

Mohamed Salah, Liverpool forward: "We have a score to settle."

Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid coach: "I've got good memories from the finals I've been in. I lost against Liverpool in 2005 and ironically that was probably the best performance one of my teams has given in a final! We've had time to prep, we are in a good moment, we'll give our best – we'll see whether that's enough to win the game, as sometimes in football things can happen that are beyond your control."

"We've deserved to get to the final because of our quality. If you don't have this, then you don't get to a final. But quality and talent aren't enough. You need to make a team, ensure they all buy into it."

Marcelo, Real Madrid club captain: "We know what it is to play a final, to play for this club. Nerves kick in a bit the night before the game, but we were all in the right mindset for this match right from the second we qualified for it."