Could this be the highest scoring Champions League final ever?

It doesn't take a genius to predict a lot of goals on Saturday. Everyone knows how potent Liverpool and Real Madrid's attacks are, and everyone knows the frailties they both possess at the back. 

Although Real have world-class defenders like Sergio Ramos and Marcelo in their back-line, they have also been known to be exposed. Dani Carvajal and Marcelo are both obviously high quality players, but there are question marks over how well they will be able to deal with Liverpool's attack, especially given Marcelo's tendency to operate as almost a winger, high up the pitch. Ramos, while he is a well-versed defender, is 32 years old, and it remains to be seen how he will be able to cope with the pace of Sadio Mane and Mo Salah. 

Liverpool, meanwhile, are famously shakey at the back, and although they have looked much more solid since the arrival of Virgil Van Dijk, players such as Trent Alexander-Arnold are not used to occasions of these magnitude, and Dejan Lovren is still not immune from making ill-advised decisions in the heat of the battle.

If you then consider the incredible firepower that both sides in their offensive locker, it begins to look likely that we could be in for a goalfest on Saturday. 

Liverpool's lethal trident are the highest scoring trio in Champions League history, with the 10 goals apiece from Salah and Firmino combined with the 9 of Sadio Mane totalling a remarkable 29 in one UCL campaign.

All of the top four highest goalscorers in this Champions League campaign will be on the pitch in Kiev, with no guesses needed for who takes the top spot. Cristiano Ronaldo, who has bagged 15 times in this season's Champions League, is the all-time highest goalscorer in the competition on 120, and goes into the game hungry to claim his fifth 'big ears'. 

 

May 23, 2018

Furthermore, the second highest tally by an attacking trio was recorded by no other than Real Madrid, back in 2013/14 (28). And who was that trio, I hear you ask? Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo, who could all start on Saturday.

That 13/14 Madrid side are also the second highest scoring team over one season in the history of the tournament, their 41 goals second only to Barcelona's 45 in 1999/2000. Third in the list? Liverpool this season, on 40.

By this point, I'm sure you get the message: there are a lot of goals in this game. So what are the chances of this being the highest scoring UCL final of all time? 

Well, to top the current record, Liverpool would have to beat their own tally from 2005. That famous 3-3 against Milan in Istanbul holds the record for the most goals in a Champions League final, although Liverpool fans will perhaps hope that the game doesn't play out in such a stressful fashion as that night did. Real were involved in the second highest scoring final ever, too, with their 4-1 win over rivals Atletico Madrid in 2014 an equally tense affair. 

With everything considered, all the signs point to this final being a highly entertaining spectacle. That being said, entertainment doesn't win you trophies, and both sides would settle for a dull game if it meant that they got to lift the biggest trophy in club football.