Rafa Benítez has soaked up the duels that have taken Liverpool and Real Madrid to the final in Paris.

Two teams that he has trained and that will face each other just 17 years after the miracle in Istanbul that led him to become European champion with the 'reds' on penalties against Carlo Ancelotti's Milan.

Is there a favourite? I'd say that Liverpool are favorites because of the season's performance, but Real Madrid have already shown that they never give up and have enough quality to throw a game off balance. It will be different from 2018... Of course.

Benzema's goal and, after the draw, Bale's two goals... It will be difficult for us to see something similar.

Also, in this case I would say that many of the Liverpool players will have more experience and that will help them.

Real Madrid had that advantage. Has Liverpool had the easiest path?

Reaching a final is always difficult.

If we analyze the names of the rivals, it seems like one thing, but the matches can be quite another, as Villarreal demonstrated at La Cerámica.

No one can say that it was an easy match for Liverpool. You who know the Bernabéu well, do you believe in its mystique, why PSG,

Chelsea and City fell? I have lived many of the famous nights of comebacks at the Bernabéu since I was young, but in these cases, each one different, they have a common denominator: the quality or imbalance of a player.

Let's not forget that PSG and Chelsea goalkeepers made mistakes that changed those games.

City had even more chances.

I think that the merit of Madrid and the Bernabéu lies in not giving up, in the experience and quality of the players to resolve under pressure in the final minutes.

The mystique and the DNA serve to sell more. Do you see this Liverpool capable of making the same mistakes? I don't think so.

Many players were in the final in 2018 and now they have more experience.

That will help them. Are Benzema and Courtois the reasons why Madrid can win the 14 Champions League?

Undoubtedly.

Benzema always had intelligent movements and technical quality, but now, in addition, he has more precision in front of goal, he makes better use of chances.

Courtois, due to his size, is already imposing, but he is also agile, reacts quickly and is technically good.

He is very complete. Another essential player is Casemiro... Yes, of course.

I am very fond of Casemiro because he was our first signing.

He was on loan at Porto and from the club they asked me if I wanted to pick him up and logically, I said yes, someone was needed to give balance to the team.

He is a great person and a good professional.

He was young and always wanted to stay to do extra work with me or my assistants.

He listened and applied himself to improve, that's why he has been essential all these years at Real Madrid.

he has more precision in front of goal, he takes better advantage of occasions.

Courtois, due to his size, is already imposing, but he is also agile, reacts quickly and is technically good.

He is very complete. Another essential player is Casemiro... Yes, of course.

I am very fond of Casemiro because he was our first signing.

He was on loan at Porto and from the club they asked me if he wanted to play him back and logically, I said yes, someone was needed to give balance to the team.

He is a great person and a good professional.

He was young and always wanted to stay to do extra work with me or my assistants.

He listened and applied himself to improve, that's why he has been essential all these years at Real Madrid.

he has more precision in front of goal, he takes better advantage of occasions.

Courtois, due to his size, is already imposing, but he is also agile, reacts quickly and is technically good.

He is very complete. Another essential player is Casemiro... Yes, of course.

I am very fond of Casemiro because he was our first signing.

He was on loan at Porto and from the club they asked me if he wanted to play him back and logically, I said yes, someone was needed to give balance to the team.

He is a great person and a good professional.

He was young and always wanted to stay to do extra work with me or my assistants.

He listened and applied himself to improve, that's why he has been essential all these years at Real Madrid.

He is very complete. Another essential player is Casemiro... Yes, of course.

I am very fond of Casemiro because he was our first signing.

He was on loan at Porto and from the club they asked me if he wanted to play him back and logically, I said yes, someone was needed to give balance to the team.

He is a great person and a good professional.

He was young and always wanted to stay to do extra work with me or my assistants.

He listened and applied himself to improve, that's why he has been essential all these years at Real Madrid.

He is very complete. Another essential player is Casemiro... Yes, of course.

I am very fond of Casemiro because he was our first signing.

He was on loan at Porto and from the club they asked me if he wanted to play him back and logically, I said yes, someone was needed to give balance to the team.

He is a great person and a good professional.

He was young and always wanted to stay to do extra work with me or my assistants.

He listened and applied himself to improve, that's why he has been essential all these years at Real Madrid.

He was young and always wanted to stay to do extra work with me or my assistants.

He listened and applied himself to improve, that's why he's been essential all these years at Real Madrid.

He was young and always wanted to stay to do extra work with me or my assistants.

He listened and applied himself to improve, that's why he's been essential all these years at Real Madrid.

OR

You took over the reins of Real Madrid after Ancelotti's first spell, what changes have you seen in this second spell of the Italian on the bench?Carlo is intelligent and adapts well to the players he has, but in terms of his way of work is similar.

His assistants will also have more experience and that makes things easier, but he, in particular, and without seeing the day-to-day training, I think he works similar to how he did before. He has been criticized for not rotating... Every The coach knows his players and his squad better than people from outside.

I'm sure Ancelotti knew what he was doing.

What are Real Madrid's weak points?He doesn't have many, really.

It is an organized team, with good ball control and used to dominating games.

That may be the key.

If you don't dominate,

if Liverpool have the ball in Madrid's field, they will have to defend and that is something they don't usually do. Let's talk about Liverpool.

Which absence would be more decisive: Salah, Fabinho or Van Dijk? He has already shown that he can play and win without any of them, but because of the players who can replace them and because of the position, I would say that Van Dijk is more influential in the game of the team.

Because of the security he gives and the threat he poses from set pieces. Klopp says he has "Ferraris in the garage", is that the big difference with Madrid? In a final you don't need many "Ferraris in the garage".

One or two that can make a difference might be enough.

In that sense, both have players to change a match, we have already seen it with Rodrygo. Could Liverpool's physique be so decisive?

Can be.

It is the great difference of this Liverpool with many other teams in the Premier, but it also has quality in all lines and on the bench.

Real Madrid have only faced a team similar to Liverpool in terms of intensity, Chelsea, and we have seen how difficult it was.

Liverpool is a different challenge for this Real Madrid.Liverpool's 2022 is overwhelming with the explosion of a player like Luis DíazYes, the team is doing very well in all competitions, which shows the good work of Klopp and the people who collaborate with him, with quality signings that add to the great squad they already have.

Luis Diaz has adapted immediately, he is not afraid to face rivals and does things different from the other strikers, so he has been a very successful signing.

Tell us what your message to the dressing room would be if you coached Real Madrid and what if you were at Liverpool This is a tough one.

The coach of each team is the one who knows his players best and from the outside, no matter how much we want to know or think we know about the two teams, we will never know the players or be able to handle the moment like them.

Just from experience, I think both will tell you to be faithful to your way of doing things, that's why you've reached the final. You've been on both benches, how do you experience the pressure on one and the other? At Real Madrid, and I don't want to argue, we were first in the group in the Champions League, but they didn't give us time to show anything else, so, in that case, I can't talk about pressure before a final.

At Liverpool I have been to several finals and you always know that you have the fans and all the staff behind you, pushing, helping.

You want to win for yourself, for your people, but also for them.

The 2005 final, in Istanbul, was won after 21 years and the pressure was not noticeable, the passion, the enthusiasm, the feeling was noticeable, and that always makes you give something more for your team. It is inevitable to ask him about Mbappé.

What do you think of the decision?

Now, the players have all the power? The players have a lot of power, but in this case we are talking about one who ends his contract and decides where he wants to go.

Madrid has simply gone for a player whose contract with his club was ending and who has told them no.

in Istanbul, it was won after 21 years and the pressure was not noticeable, the passion, the enthusiasm, the feeling was noticeable, and that always makes you give something more for your team. It is inevitable to ask him about Mbappé.

What do you think of the decision?

Now, the players have all the power? The players have a lot of power, but in this case we are talking about one who ends his contract and decides where he wants to go.

Madrid has simply gone for a player whose contract with his club was ending and who has told them no.

in Istanbul, it was won after 21 years and the pressure was not noticeable, the passion, the enthusiasm, the feeling was noticeable, and that always makes you give something more for your team. It is inevitable to ask him about Mbappé.

What do you think of the decision?

Now, the players have all the power? The players have a lot of power, but in this case we are talking about one who ends his contract and decides where he wants to go.

Madrid has simply gone for a player whose contract with his club was ending and who has told them no.

but in this case we are talking about one who ends his contract and decides where he wants to go.

Madrid has simply gone for a player whose contract with his club was ending and who has told them no.

but in this case we are talking about one who ends his contract and decides where he wants to go.

Madrid has simply gone for a player whose contract with his club was ending and who has told them no.

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