Not only a match between stars on the pitch, this season's UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool is also a match between coach Jurgen Klopp and coach Zinedine Zidane.
At the pre-match press conference, the Liverpool head coach did not hesitate to praise his colleagues on the other side of the front line:
Zidane is one of the five best players of all time. I haven't been at Liverpool as long as he was at Real Madrid.
He is aiming to win the UEFA Champions League for the third consecutive time. That has never happened in the career of a coach.
He is as talented as he was when he was a player. His team of players work like a Swiss watch. I have watched that team many times. It's great football, it's organized when it's necessary and it can also be virtual.
But this is football and there are always opportunities for the other team. That's enough for me."
Coach Jurgen Klopp also affirmed that Real Madrid is more confident than Liverpool, having won both previous seasons. However, he also affirmed the careful preparation of The Kop in the past time.
The German coach expressed: "Experience is very important. I'm sure at this moment before the match Real Madrid are more confident than us. However, this is not a problem. The match did not end in a moment. It's just getting started.
We have had 2 weeks to prepare and everything is clear. The team analyzed Real Madrid's playing style against different opponents and exclaimed that they are really strong.
But they have never met us.
We are Liverpool. Not only a truly strong team, the team's DNA is to move forward to achieve great things. No one expected the team to be here, but we are here because we are Liverpool. The team has made special strides to the final as the team with the most goals".
The 2017/2018 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool will take place at 1:45 a.m. on May 27 at NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine and will be broadcast on K+PM channel.
