Real Madrid must break a British jinx if the team is to lift a record third consecutive Champions League title after Liverpool qualified for the final last night.
The Premier League side lost 4-2 in a thrilling semi final second leg in the Olympic Stadium in Rome but go through having won the tie 7-6 on aggregate.
It will be the fourth time in the club’s history that it has faced British competition in a European final and Los Blancos have yet to leave with the trophy. Chelsea defeated Real in the 1971 European Cup Winners Cup final. The teams drew 1-1 in Athens before playing the replay two days later, which Chelsea won 2-1.
Liverpool had the strongest side in Europe during the 1980s and the Merseysiders defeated Real 1-0 in the 1981 European Cup final in the Parc des Princes, Paris. Hopes of third time lucky were dashed by Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen side in 1983. The Scottish club won 2-1 in Gothenburg after the European Cup Winners Cup final went to extra time.
The 2018 Champions League final will take place in Kyiv on Saturday 26th May. The Olympic Stadium is home to Dynamo Kiev who have hosted Real three times in the Champions League. Los Blancos have yet to win on their visits to the Ukraine capital, losing 2-0 to Dynamo in 1999 and earning 2-2 draws on two later visits in 2004 and 2006.
This season’s final brings together two of the most successful clubs in history. Between them they have won 17 European Cups, Real have contributed 12 compared to five-time winners Liverpool.
Since losing the European Cup final to Liverpool in 1981, the two clubs have met four times in the Champions League. Liverpool defeated Real 1-0 in the first leg of their last-16 tie in 2009 before winning the return leg 4-0 to record a 5-0 aggregate victory.
Los Bancos avenged the humiliation when they next met in the group stage in 2014. Real won 3-0 on Merseyside and took the return fixture 1-0.
