Opponents Real Madrid have won the last two Champions League titles and have appeared in three of the last four finals, making the odds stacked in their favour to lift a 13th European Cup. However, Liverpool will have no qualms about going into this match as the underdog. In fact, they’ll be more than happy to do so.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have been the outsiders for the entirety of this European campaign; no one has even given them a look in until now. When the Reds waltzed past the group stages in style, they were warned that tougher opposition would now follow- though this proved not to be an issue  for Liverpool.

Porto were humbled 5-0 on aggregate but again Klopp’s side were told to be wary of what was to come their way. Manchester City- who were tipped as favourites to win the whole thing-  awaited in the quarter-finals. Despite people doubting his team once more, Klopp proved why he didn’t need the backing of the nation but instead the belief of eleven players on the pitch that winning any game is possible.

This fearless mentality saw the  Merseysiders dispose of City in some style, inflicting a 5-1 aggregate defeat, while Roma were the latest to get a taste of heavy metal football. Opponents have fallen victim to the thunderous Liverpool attack, which has seen Klopp’s killing machine all but end ties with quick fire goal bursts. Opponents left shell-shocked.

A different type of challenge is looming in the final, though.

Real Madrid are a different beast in this competition and always seem to find a way to win- Liverpool will have other ideas, but it depends greatly on the mood of Los Blancos. Will they be ruthless or reserved?

In Real’s quarter-final and semi-final ties against Juventus and Bayern Munich, luck was certainly on their side. Juventus were seconds away from forcing extra time and penalties after successfully overturning a three goal deficit, but Madrid were awarded a controversial last minute penalty to send them through. Bayern also staged a comeback at the Bernabeu but also fell short at the final hurdle.

Madrid qualified on both occasions but these performances were anything short of convincing.

On the other hand, Liverpool booked their place in the final destroying all kinds of records along the way. The Reds have scored a record amount of goals for one Champions League season (46), James Milner broke the record for the most assists in a single campaign(9) and Roberto Firmino became the first player to score and assist on seven occasions or more in a season.

Zinedine Zidane has assembled a squad that includes players with 40 Champions League medals among them- while Liverpool have zero. The big game experience is with the Spanish side, but is a strong team team spirit,  faultless work ethic, and a fearless mentality? The Reds have this in abundance and although their chances will be downplayed, it’s very likely they will be quietly confident heading into this crunch encounter.

Another reason why Liverpool won’t mind being the underdogs? Well, they’ve been in this position many times before- May 2005 in particular.

The Reds’ fifth European cup was a historic triumph that lives long in the memory of the footballing world. Against all the odds, to defy the physically possible, when nothing could have seemed more unlikely- Liverpool fought back from 3-0 down at half time against Ac Milan to complete the greatest comeback the competition has ever witnessed.

Going into this match, Rafael Benitez’s side had their chances severely downplayed and so to stage something such as this with 45 minutes to play made it all the more impressive. Liverpool’s side included the likes of Dijmi Traore and Milan Baros  while Milan had a squad of a golden generation with players such as Hernan Crespo, Paulo Maldini, Kaka, Genarro Gatusso and Andrea Pirlo but still couldn’t find a way to prevail.

Two years later, the sides met again in the final of the Champions League, and having completed the unthinkable first time around- people began to pick Liverpool as favourites this time. There was to be no repeats heroics of 2005, as the Reds narrowly lost 2-1 to the Italians.

From this, it seemed to show even more how Liverpool liked to do things in an unexpected manner- they wanted to be author of their own story rather than have their tale told by many months before the final chapter had been reached.

Being the dark horse suits Liverpool. This side thrives on going against what logic suggests, things are done the hard way with Klopp’s recruits, it’s never a dull watch but nothing is ever guaranteed.

This Champions League final promises to be a fantastic spectacle that will draw in millions of viewers. The game will certainly not be short of attacking talent and exciting football, but who will hold their nerve to come out on top?

Liverpool’s odds to win the cup have sharply fallen from 50/1 to 33/1 to 14/1  and now to 11/10. As the numbers have tumbled belief has risen. Madrid will be backed by the thousands, but as many have found out- you would be rather unwise to underestimate Klopp’s men.

Tom Cavilla.