Liverpool's game plan has been centred around using their pace, raw power and guile to cause havoc in opposition defences and tonight their strategy to depose back-to-back champions Real Madrid will rely on making the game as frantic as possible.
The Reds' pressing has done in almost all opposition in this season's Champions League as they have set a high tempo which most teams have been unable to cope with.
In Real Madrid they face a side which this strategy could be tailor made for. Madrid may have the superior midfield combination but its the structure ,or lack thereof, in their defence which could give Liverpool the advantage.
The Madrid defence has proven to be susceptible to bouts of disorder as they also use as their full backs on offense from out wide. This presents some problems as it did against Juventus when the Italians used the wide positions to strike against Real at the Bernebeu.
When the full backs Dani Carvajal and Marcelo, more in particular, bomb on forward they tend not to take heed that the man on opposite flank is also taking a forward position. This leaves spaces for Liverpool to exploit as it isolates the centre backs creating a three on two situation which is not ideal when up against the pace of a front three that scored 29 goals in the competition.
Even with the fantastic front three Liverpool have got legs in abundance with the running power of players like Gino Wijnaldum, James Milner and the lung bursting runs from Andy Robertson can expose Madrid if their defending is found to be lacking.
Liverpool's approach isn't all that sophisticated, but even against Real Madrid they need not to be as even a simple early ball from Jordan Henderson could prove to be enough to expose the gaps in behind the Madrid defence.
Their pure physicality and insuring that they keep the defending champions on the their toes by making the game as unstructured as possible is the key to bringing the trophy back to Merseyside again.
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