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Arsenal legend Paul Merson has predicted Liverpool to beat Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final in Paris on May 28. The two teams are all set to contest in a rematch of their 2018 showpiece, which Los Blancos comfortably won 3-1 in Kiev.
The Reds, who're competing for an unprecedented quadruple, are gunning for revenge, and Merson believes they can pull it off. In his column for the English news website Daily Star, he wrote:
“Liverpool will beat Real Madrid. They won’t mess about. They will have too much for them in the Champions League Final.”
The Reds have reached their third Champions League final in the last five years and hope to seal their seventh title in the competition. However, Real Madrid will look to prevent that, having pulled off incredible comebacks against PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City to reach the title match. On paper, Jurgen Klopp's side have the better team, but their Spanish counterparts have shown they never give up.
Having won the competition a record 13 times, the Champions League is in Real Madrid's DNA. Karim Benzema is also in top form, scoring 15 times in the competition this season. However, the Reds also have Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane fit and firing.
If they are to win and avoid the same fate they did four years ago, the Reds ought to take their chances and maintain control of the contest till the end.
Liverpool in contention for unprecedented quadruple
Liverpool are looking to complete a historic quadruple with just six games remaining across competitions in their 2021-22 campaign. That includes two cup finals - against Chelsea in the FA Cup (on May 14) and Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
However, it's the Premier League title race that isn't under their control yet, as the Reds trail Manchester City by a point.
Unless the holders slip up, they won't win even if they win all their remaining four games. However, Merson thinks City's painful Champions League exit could take a toll on them mentally, saying
"The quadruple is well and truly on for Liverpool now because I don't know how Manchester City pick themselves up after this week's disaster."
He continued:
"What happened to City against Real Madrid, I've never seen anything like it. They were as comfortable as it gets and then... wow. Rattle someone sometimes, and they break. That's what happened to City. They had the Champions League final in their hands and threw it away. This affects them hugely now."
Manchester City will host Newcastle on Sunday, while Liverpool face Tottenham at Anfield a day earlier.
