Liverpool stand one game away from lifting their seventh European trophy, drawing level with second-place AC Milan in the process, should they beat Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid.

The Reds saw their hopes of a historical quadruple go up in smoke on the final day of the Premier League season, as a gripping comeback from Manchester City saw Pep Guardiola’s side successfully defend their trophy.

However, having already banked the Carabao Cup and FA Cup via penalty shoot-out wins over Chelsea, they could yet lift a cup treble should they win in Paris on Saturday night.

101 take a look at just how they have arrived on the precipice of greatness.

Advertisement

Open Account Offer. Bet £10 & Get £50 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. 18+. begambleaware.org. UK & ROI residents only

Group of death left lifeless

It looked to be a dismal start to proceedings in Liverpool’s chase for Champions League glory when the groups were drawn, with the Reds drawn in what looked to be the toughest group out of them all.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were pitted against Portuguese champions FC Porto, Spanish champions Atletico Madrid and AC Milan, who finished second in Serie A last season and went on to win the league this time around.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic of AC Milan kisses the trophy during the award ceremony following the Serie A football match between US Sassuolo and AC Milan. AC Milan won 3-0 over US Sassuolo securing the Scudetto championship (Serie A title). (Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Despite this, and thanks in part to the teams around them taking points off each other, Liverpool had qualified from the group after just four games, and had won it after five, scoring 16 and conceding 5 in the process.

It meant that Klopp fielded a largely rotated XI for the final game against AC Milan, only for his side to come out with a 2-1 victory at the San Siro and keep their 100% record in the group stage, joining Ajax and Bayern Munich as the only clubs to do so.

We are the Champions

Thundering through to the last 16, Liverpool were drawn against Italian champions Inter Milan, who despite losing Antonio Conte, Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi in the summer remained a threat, and had qualified out of their group in second, behind Real Madrid.

And another victory at San Siro, this time 2-0, was enough to see the Reds pull through despite losing 1-0 to a ten-man Inter side at Anfield in the return leg, and to set up a clash with Benfica, who edged past Ajax.

Handed perhaps the easiest opposition left in the final 8, Liverpool ensured that the job was done thoroughly, netting six times across the two legs even if a late wobble saw them holding on to a 6-4 aggregate lead late in the second leg. Despite this, they got the job done.

Mo Salah forward of Liverpool FC in action during the UEFA Champions League quarter final first leg match between SL Benfica and Liverpool FC on April 04, 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Valter Gouveia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

That, many expected, was enough to pit them up against Bayern Munich, only for the Bavarian side to be ousted by Europa League holders Villareal under the leadership of cup specialist Unai Emery.

While on paper an easy game, three-quarters of the way through the tie, the Reds were pegged back to 2-2 and were rocking. However, they regained their composure in a cauldron of noise in Spain, grabbing a further three goals to seal the tie and give it a much more comfortable look than it had actually been.

It has, perhaps, not been the most difficult knockout run on paper, but each team deserved to be there on merit, and it is hard to begrudge Klopp’s side a place in the Paris final on Saturday.

Read more:

Liverpool vs Real Madrid live streaming: Watch UEFA Champions League final online

Liverpool vs Real Madrid betting tips: Champions League Final preview, predictions and odds

Liverpool betting odds, next game:

Liverpool vs Real Madrid odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers

Liverpool’s latest videos

ROME ’84: Liverpool beat Roma on penalties | HIGHLIGHTS

Relive Liverpool’s fourth European Cup success, as Bruce Grobbelaar’s heroics in the shootout, helped…

2022-05-26T06:00:19Z

Liverpool’s Champions League press conference

Watch as the Reds’ boss Jürgen Klopp, and two of his first-team players speak…

2022-05-25T14:23:05Z

Premier League table

#	Team	MP	D	P
1	Manchester City	38	73	93
2	Liverpool FC	38	68	92
3	Chelsea FC	38	43	74
4	Tottenham Hotspur	38	29	71
5	Arsenal FC	38	13	69
6	Manchester United	38	0	58
7	West Ham United	38	9	56
8	Leicester City	38	3	52
9	Brighton & Hove Albion	38	-2	51
10	Wolverhampton Wanderers	38	-5	51
11	Newcastle United	38	-18	49
12	Crystal Palace	38	4	48
13	Brentford FC	38	-8	46
14	Aston Villa	38	-2	45
15	Southampton FC	38	-24	40
16	Everton FC	38	-23	39
17	Leeds United	38	-37	38
18	Burnley FC	38	-19	35
19	Watford FC	38	-43	23
20	Norwich City	38	-61	22

Player	Team	Goals
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	23
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur	23
Ronaldo, Cristiano	Manchester United	18
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur	17
Mane, Sadio	Liverpool FC	16
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City	15
Jota, Diogo	Liverpool FC	15
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City	15
Zaha, Wilfried	Crystal Palace	14
Sterling, Raheem	Manchester City	13
Bowen, Jarrod	West Ham United	12
Maddison, James	Leicester City	12
Toney, Ivan	Brentford FC	12
Mount, Mason	Chelsea FC	11
Saka, Bukayo	Arsenal FC	11
Mahrez, Riyad	Manchester City	11
Richarlison	Everton FC	11
Pukki, Teemu	Norwich City	11
Raphinha	Leeds United	11
Watkins, Ollie	Aston Villa	11

Player	Team	Red Cards	Yellow Cards
Mings, Tyrone	Aston Villa	0	11
Xhaka, Granit	Arsenal FC	1	10
Tarkowski, James	Burnley FC	0	11
Firpo, Junior	Leeds United	0	11
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	0	10
Gallagher, Conor	Crystal Palace	0	10
Brownhill, Josh	Burnley FC	0	10
Bednarek, Jan	Southampton FC	0	10
Bissouma, Yves	Brighton & Hove Albion	0	10
Moreno, Rodrigo	Leeds United	0	9
Neves, Ruben	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0	9
Romeu, Oriol	Southampton FC	0	9
Rudiger, Antonio	Chelsea FC	0	9
Mctominay, Scott	Manchester United	0	9
Salisu, Mohammed	Southampton FC	0	8
Ronaldo, Cristiano	Manchester United	0	8
Toney, Ivan	Brentford FC	0	8
Dennis, Emmanuel	Watford FC	0	7
Richarlison	Everton FC	0	8
Pogba, Paul	Manchester United	1	7

Player	Team	Assists
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	13
Alexander-Arnold, Trent	Liverpool FC	12
Barnes, Harvey	Leicester City	11
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur	10
Bowen, Jarrod	West Ham United	10
Mount, Mason	Chelsea FC	10
Robertson, Andy	Liverpool FC	10
Maddison, James	Leicester City	9
James, Reece	Chelsea FC	9
Pogba, Paul	Manchester United	9
Cancelo, Joao	Manchester City	9
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City	8
Jesus, Gabriel	Manchester City	8
Kulusevski, Dejan	Tottenham Hotspur	8
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur	7
Saka, Bukayo	Arsenal FC	7
Antonio, Michail	West Ham United	7
Lacazette, Alexandre	Arsenal FC	7
Mbeumo, Bryan	Brentford FC	7
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	6

West Ham are on the verge of announcing their first signing of the summer in the form of Rennes defender Nayef Aguerd, according to reports.

The Hammers have struggled at centre-back this season, largely owing to injury. Angelo Ogbonna suffered a season-ending injury, while both Kurt Zouma and Issa Diop also spent significant time on the treatment table. That left Craig Dawson, now 32 years old, as a mainstay of the defence, and resulted in him racking up over 4000 minutes.

As a result, they are clearly in the market for defenders to strengthen their backline, with a move for Aguerd seemingly set to be completed imminently, according to reliable West Ham source EXWHUemployee.

The 6ft2″ centre-back appeared 31 times this season for the Ligue 1 side, scoring twice and providing three assists from the heart of defence.

REIMS, FRANCE – APRIL 09: Nayef Aguerd of Stade Rennais in action during the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between Reims and Rennes at Stade Auguste Delaune on April 9, 2022 in Reims, France. (Photo by Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images)

Lingard in the works?

On the back of a gruelling campaign, it is clear that David Moyes is looking to strengthen early in the transfer window and, with Nicola Vlasic having failed to impress since his big-money move last summer, the Hammers are thought to be chasing Jesse Lingard once more.

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 21: Jesse Lingard of West Ham United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium(Photo by Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images).

Lingard enjoyed a brilliant end to the 2020-21 season while on loan at West Ham, but was unable to make the move permanent and now looks certain to leave Manchester United on a free transfer this summer when his contract runs out.

BREAKING: West Ham make an initial enquiry over signing #MUFC midfielder Jesse Lingard on a free transfer ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/dvy3HAQarp

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 24, 2022

And the Hammers are once more interested in bringing in the midfielder, though his wages could well prove to be a stumbling block. However, should he be able to recreate the sort of form he enjoyed during his last spell with the Hammers, they would surely pay for themselves.

Read more:

Liverpool vs Real Madrid betting tips: Champions League Final preview, predictions and odds

Liverpool vs Real Madrid live streaming: Watch UEFA Champions League final online

West Ham betting odds, next game:

West Ham’s latest videos

EVERY WEST HAM UNITED GOAL | 2021/22 SEASON

Subscribe: http://bit.ly/1QALxTA ▻ Follow us on Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/westham ▻ Like us on Facebook: …

2022-05-24T17:00:02Z

WE’VE DONE THIS TOGETHER | MARK NOBLE POST BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION

Mark Noble speaks to WHTV for the last time as a player! ▻ Subscribe:…

2022-05-22T18:07:23Z

Premier League table

#	Team	MP	D	P
1	Manchester City	38	73	93
2	Liverpool FC	38	68	92
3	Chelsea FC	38	43	74
4	Tottenham Hotspur	38	29	71
5	Arsenal FC	38	13	69
6	Manchester United	38	0	58
7	West Ham United	38	9	56
8	Leicester City	38	3	52
9	Brighton & Hove Albion	38	-2	51
10	Wolverhampton Wanderers	38	-5	51
11	Newcastle United	38	-18	49
12	Crystal Palace	38	4	48
13	Brentford FC	38	-8	46
14	Aston Villa	38	-2	45
15	Southampton FC	38	-24	40
16	Everton FC	38	-23	39
17	Leeds United	38	-37	38
18	Burnley FC	38	-19	35
19	Watford FC	38	-43	23
20	Norwich City	38	-61	22

Player	Team	Goals
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	23
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur	23
Ronaldo, Cristiano	Manchester United	18
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur	17
Mane, Sadio	Liverpool FC	16
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City	15
Jota, Diogo	Liverpool FC	15
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City	15
Zaha, Wilfried	Crystal Palace	14
Sterling, Raheem	Manchester City	13
Bowen, Jarrod	West Ham United	12
Maddison, James	Leicester City	12
Toney, Ivan	Brentford FC	12
Mount, Mason	Chelsea FC	11
Saka, Bukayo	Arsenal FC	11
Mahrez, Riyad	Manchester City	11
Richarlison	Everton FC	11
Pukki, Teemu	Norwich City	11
Raphinha	Leeds United	11
Watkins, Ollie	Aston Villa	11

Player	Team	Red Cards	Yellow Cards
Mings, Tyrone	Aston Villa	0	11
Xhaka, Granit	Arsenal FC	1	10
Tarkowski, James	Burnley FC	0	11
Firpo, Junior	Leeds United	0	11
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	0	10
Gallagher, Conor	Crystal Palace	0	10
Brownhill, Josh	Burnley FC	0	10
Bednarek, Jan	Southampton FC	0	10
Bissouma, Yves	Brighton & Hove Albion	0	10
Moreno, Rodrigo	Leeds United	0	9
Neves, Ruben	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0	9
Romeu, Oriol	Southampton FC	0	9
Rudiger, Antonio	Chelsea FC	0	9
Mctominay, Scott	Manchester United	0	9
Salisu, Mohammed	Southampton FC	0	8
Ronaldo, Cristiano	Manchester United	0	8
Toney, Ivan	Brentford FC	0	8
Dennis, Emmanuel	Watford FC	0	7
Richarlison	Everton FC	0	8
Pogba, Paul	Manchester United	1	7

Player	Team	Assists
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	13
Alexander-Arnold, Trent	Liverpool FC	12
Barnes, Harvey	Leicester City	11
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur	10
Bowen, Jarrod	West Ham United	10
Mount, Mason	Chelsea FC	10
Robertson, Andy	Liverpool FC	10
Maddison, James	Leicester City	9
James, Reece	Chelsea FC	9
Pogba, Paul	Manchester United	9
Cancelo, Joao	Manchester City	9
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City	8
Jesus, Gabriel	Manchester City	8
Kulusevski, Dejan	Tottenham Hotspur	8
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur	7
Saka, Bukayo	Arsenal FC	7
Antonio, Michail	West Ham United	7
Lacazette, Alexandre	Arsenal FC	7
Mbeumo, Bryan	Brentford FC	7
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	6

Fiorentina fans have sent a clear message both to their board and current Arsenal loanee Lucas Torreira ahead of his upcoming summer departure.

As it stands, Torreira will be returning to north London at the end of his loan spell with La Viola, where he has become a fan favourite and won three of the five possible player of the month awards this calender year.

The Uruguayan’s loan deal had an option to buy the player set at 15m euros, which it was expected that the Italian club would take up. However, that has since changed, as Fiorentina tried to secure a discount both on salary and fee, neither of which washed with the other party.

Lucas Torreira will return to Arsenal as €15m option won’t be triggered, agent Bentancur confirms: “It was almost agreed on salary too – then Fiorentina asked for a discount, we can’t accept”. 🇺🇾 #AFC

“Arsenal have also turned down their proposal”, he told @Fiorentinanews. pic.twitter.com/TzFsvSyI2h

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 22, 2022

Now, the Fiorentina fans have unfurled a banner near the Florence side’s stadium demanding that he stay, and that Joe Barone, the club’s CEO, leave instead.

‘Torreira Alla Fiorentina, Barone All Arsenal’, the banner read.

Fiorentina fans make a stand RE Lucas Torreira (they want him to stay) by placing a banner near the stadium tonight.

“Torreira Alla Fiorentina, Barone All Arsenal” pic.twitter.com/fipbDEMTGX

— Arsenal (@TheArsenalGuns) May 25, 2022

While the La Viola faithful have made their feelings on the matter clear, whether they are acted upon are another matter.

What next for Torreira?

It seems unlikely that Lucas Torreira will still be an Arsenal player come the end of the summer. The midfielder was not thought to be in Mikel Arteta’s plans 12 months ago, when sent on loan to Florence, and it is hard to see how that has changed in the year since.

Meanwhile, Torreira himself has never settled in England, and would be keen on a move back to Italy or to South America. Whether such an opportunity arises remains to be seen.

Read more:

Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson opens up on connection with former Gunners striker Robin van Persie

Newcastle to beat Arsenal to new record signing as revamp continues

Arsenal betting odds, next game:

Arsenal’s latest videos

RANKED | Granit Xhaka and Bernd Leno rank each others’ top 5 goals and saves!

Join Granit, Bernd and Frimmy as we sit down for another episode of RANKED!…

2022-03-29T15:35:53Z

2000 Premier League goals | Saka, Bergkamp, Henry, Wright & more!

Watch every single landmark goal for Arsenal in the Premier League era. All the…

2022-03-22T15:56:22Z

Premier League table

#	Team	MP	D	P
1	Manchester City	38	73	93
2	Liverpool FC	38	68	92
3	Chelsea FC	38	43	74
4	Tottenham Hotspur	38	29	71
5	Arsenal FC	38	13	69
6	Manchester United	38	0	58
7	West Ham United	38	9	56
8	Leicester City	38	3	52
9	Brighton & Hove Albion	38	-2	51
10	Wolverhampton Wanderers	38	-5	51
11	Newcastle United	38	-18	49
12	Crystal Palace	38	4	48
13	Brentford FC	38	-8	46
14	Aston Villa	38	-2	45
15	Southampton FC	38	-24	40
16	Everton FC	38	-23	39
17	Leeds United	38	-37	38
18	Burnley FC	38	-19	35
19	Watford FC	38	-43	23
20	Norwich City	38	-61	22

Player	Team	Goals
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	23
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur	23
Ronaldo, Cristiano	Manchester United	18
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur	17
Mane, Sadio	Liverpool FC	16
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City	15
Jota, Diogo	Liverpool FC	15
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City	15
Zaha, Wilfried	Crystal Palace	14
Sterling, Raheem	Manchester City	13
Bowen, Jarrod	West Ham United	12
Maddison, James	Leicester City	12
Toney, Ivan	Brentford FC	12
Mount, Mason	Chelsea FC	11
Saka, Bukayo	Arsenal FC	11
Mahrez, Riyad	Manchester City	11
Richarlison	Everton FC	11
Pukki, Teemu	Norwich City	11
Raphinha	Leeds United	11
Watkins, Ollie	Aston Villa	11

Player	Team	Red Cards	Yellow Cards
Mings, Tyrone	Aston Villa	0	11
Xhaka, Granit	Arsenal FC	1	10
Tarkowski, James	Burnley FC	0	11
Firpo, Junior	Leeds United	0	11
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	0	10
Gallagher, Conor	Crystal Palace	0	10
Brownhill, Josh	Burnley FC	0	10
Bednarek, Jan	Southampton FC	0	10
Bissouma, Yves	Brighton & Hove Albion	0	10
Moreno, Rodrigo	Leeds United	0	9
Neves, Ruben	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0	9
Romeu, Oriol	Southampton FC	0	9
Rudiger, Antonio	Chelsea FC	0	9
Mctominay, Scott	Manchester United	0	9
Salisu, Mohammed	Southampton FC	0	8
Ronaldo, Cristiano	Manchester United	0	8
Toney, Ivan	Brentford FC	0	8
Dennis, Emmanuel	Watford FC	0	7
Richarlison	Everton FC	0	8
Pogba, Paul	Manchester United	1	7

Player	Team	Assists
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	13
Alexander-Arnold, Trent	Liverpool FC	12
Barnes, Harvey	Leicester City	11
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur	10
Bowen, Jarrod	West Ham United	10
Mount, Mason	Chelsea FC	10
Robertson, Andy	Liverpool FC	10
Maddison, James	Leicester City	9
James, Reece	Chelsea FC	9
Pogba, Paul	Manchester United	9
Cancelo, Joao	Manchester City	9
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City	8
Jesus, Gabriel	Manchester City	8
Kulusevski, Dejan	Tottenham Hotspur	8
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur	7
Saka, Bukayo	Arsenal FC	7
Antonio, Michail	West Ham United	7
Lacazette, Alexandre	Arsenal FC	7
Mbeumo, Bryan	Brentford FC	7
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	6