Real Madrid vs. Liverpool: 3 individual battles that will decide the UEFA Champions League final
By Eesh Jhamb
2. Vinicius Junior vs Trent Alexander-Arnold
This will be a very competitive duel. Both the players will be highly aggressive, using their pace to maximum advantage.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the best full-backs in the world currently and for years to come. He is excellent going forward, and he usually gets the job done while defending. His crossing is inch-perfect and his shots from distance often surprise the goalkeepers.
And Vinicius Junior? The future star of Real Madrid and the undisputed starter. This has been the breakout season for the young Brazilian and he will be hoping to add this UEFA Champions League trophy as the icing on the cake. Combining with Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior has improved tremendously in the last two seasons, which is evident by the statistics too.
Vinicius Junior has scored 21 goals for Real Madrid, with 16 assists to his name. The speed with which he runs with the ball and the tricks he does with his quick feet to run past defenders will be highly challenging for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who generally struggles with wingers like Vinicius.
When Real Madrid faced Liverpool last season in the double legged Quarterfinal, Vinicius Junior was the star of the game and will be motivated for another such performance. I think that Ancelotti will definitely instruct him to run into spaces for Toni Kroos, David Alaba and Luka Modric to put in through passes or long balls to have him behind the defensive line.
As I mentioned in the first slide, it will be way too difficult for Mo Salah to handle Ferland Mendy alone and will need Trent Alexander-Arnold’s help in the final third. Now if the English right-back is on the offence, it will keep Vinicius Junior with some space to use and the young Brazilian can exploit it with ease.
I think that if Real Madrid wants to attack from the left flank, the players will need to play a counter-attacking or a long ball game. They will have to be very sharp and quick on their feet, because Liverpool doesn’t allow you to keep the ball for that long.