Champions League 2018 final LIVE UPDATES
The matchup is set for the final of Europe's top soccer competition following the second leg action of May 2 in the UEFA Champions League, and Sporting News is here to provide you with everything you need to know about the most prestigious professional game in the world.
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The winner-take-all battle between Real Madrid and Liverpool for supremacy between the continent's two best teams will conclude an annual tournament that began in June when the qualifying stages kicked off.
Two teams have advanced to the final and will look to end their seasons by hoisting the European Champions' Club cup as their stars begin to prepare to represent their countries in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
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With fewer than two weeks to go until the big game, Sporting News has you covered with Champions League final info, including location, time, team news and how to watch.
When is the Champions League final?
The 2018 Champions League final is set to be played on Saturday, May 26, at 2:45 p.m. ET.
Where is the Champions League final?
The game will be held at Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex in Kiev, Ukraine. Opened in 1942, the structure now holds more than 70,000 fans.
What teams are in the Champions League final?
La Liga's Real Madrid held on, tying the Bundesliga's Bayern-Munich 2-2 to reach the final with a 4-3 aggregate win, following second-leg action in the 2018 UEFA Champions League semifinals. Real Madrid is attempting to win a record third-straight Champions League title. The Premier League's Liverpool lost 4-2 to Serie A side AS Roma in the second-leg of the semifinals but scored a 7-6 aggregate win to clinch a spot in the 2018 UEFA Champions League final. Liverpool is seeking to win its sixth Champions League title and first since 2005.
How can I watch the Champions League final?
In Canada, the 2018 Champions League final can be streamed live on DAZN.
In the U.S., the game can be seen live on Fox Sports and ESPN Deportes. Fox Sports Go will provide a live stream.
How Real Madrid reached the Champions League final
| Date | Opponents (Venue) | FT Score | Scorers |
| 09/13/17 | APOEL Nicosia H | 3-0 | Cristiano Ronaldo 12, 51 (pen) Ramos 61 |
| 09269/17 | Borussia Dortmund A | 3-1 | Bale 18 Cristiano Ronaldo 49, 79 |
| 10/17/17 | Tottenham Hotspur H | 1-1 | Cristiano Ronaldo 43 (pen) |
| 11/01/17 | Tottenham Hotspur A | 1-3 | Cristiano Ronaldo 80 |
| 11/21/17 | APOEL Nicosia A | 6-0 | Modric 23 Benzema 39, 45 Nacho 41 Cristiano Ronaldo 49, 54 |
| 12/06/17 | Borussia Dortmund H | 3-2 | Mayoral 8 Cristiano Ronaldo 12 Vázquez 81 |
| 2/14/18 | Paris Saint-Germain H | 3-1 | Cristiano Ronaldo 45 (pen), 83 Marcelo 86 |
| 3/6/18 | Paris Saint-Germain A | 2-1 | Cristiano Ronaldo 51 Casemiro 80 |
| 4/3/18 | Juventus A | 3-0 | Cristiano Ronaldo 3, 64 Marcelo 72 |
| 4/11/18 | Juventus H | 1-3 | Cristiano Ronaldo 90 (pen) |
| 4/25/18 | FC Bayern München A | 2-1 | Marcelo 44 Asensio 57 |
| 5/1/18 | FC Bayern München H | 2-2 | Benzema 11, 46 |
| 5/26/18 | Liverpool N (Final) |
- Real Madrid have registered just three clean sheets in the competition this season, the joint-lowest of any team to make it to the quarterfinal, level with Juventus and Sevilla.
- The La Liga giants have been awarded four penalties in the Champions League this season, a joint-high tally alongside Napoli, with Cristiano Ronaldo converting all four.
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How Liverpool reached the Champions League final
| Date | Opponents | FT Score | Scorers |
| 9/13/17 | Sevilla H | 2-2 | Firmino 21 Salah 37 |
| 9/026/17 | Spartak Moscow A | 1-1 | Coutinho 31 |
| 10/17/17 | Maribor A | 7-0 | Firmino 4, 54 Coutinho 13 Salah 19, 39 O.Chamberlain 86 Alexander-Arnold 90 |
| 11/1/17 | Maribor H | 3-0 | Salah 49 Can 64 Sturridge 90 |
| 11/21/17 | Sevilla A | 3-3 | Firmino 2, 30 Mané 22 |
| 12/6/17 | Spartak Moscow H | 7-0 | Coutinho 4 (pen), 15, 50 Firmino 18 Mané 47, 76 Salah 86 |
| 2/14/18 | FC Porto A | 5-0 | Mané 25, 53, 85 Salah 29 Firmino 69 |
| 3/6/18 | FC Porto H | 0-0 | |
| 4/4/18 | Manchester City H | 3-0 | Salah 12 O.Chamberlain 20 Mané 31 |
| 4/10/18 | Manchester City A | 2-1 | Salah 56 Firmino 77 |
| 4/24/18 | Roma H | 5-2 | Salah 35, 45 Mané 56 Firmino 61, 68 |
| 5/2/18 | Roma A | 2-4 | Mané 9 Wijnaldum 25 |
| 5/026/18 | Real Madrid N (Final) - |
- Liverpool are the top scorers in the Champions League this season with 40 goals. Only Barcelona (45 in 1999-00) and Real Madrid (41 in 2013-14) have ever scored more in a single campaign in the competition. Including qualifying, Liverpool have scored 46 goals, a single-season record.
- The Reds have also kept six clean sheets in the competition this season — no side has kept more (level with Barcelona).
Liverpool news, updates
Liverpool knows its up against a juggernaut of a favorite in Real Madrid
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp wants 'big balls' from his players
Nick Birdsong chronicles how LIverpool went from woeful to world class again
Lovren has chance to make Champions League dream come true
Mohamed Salah positioned to challenge Ronaldo, Messi
Passionate Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp must demonstrate calm ahead of Champions League final
Mohamed Salah is 'definitely' among the world's best, according to Liverpool teammates
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard says Jurgen Klopp's players could change their lives by winning the Champions League final. ...
Dejan Lovren says Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah is "definitely" the best player in the world. ...
Former AS Roma man Mohamed Salah is having one one of the best first seasons with a a new team in the history of sports, writes SN's Mike DeCourcy.
The British Museum have added Mohamed Salah’s record-breaking boots to their Egyptian collections. ...
Liverpool is among the teams already showing off its new kits for the 2018-19 season. ...
Forward Roberto Firmino basking in the glow and enjoying his 'best year' on the pitch, alongside Ronaldo and Salah on Europe's biggest stage.
Real Madrid news, updates
Real Madrid is far too experienced for Liverpool
Check out Real Madrid's incredible Champions League record
SN's Mike DeCourcy ponders, If Zidane fails to deliver trophy, could his job be in Real jeopardy?
'Mr. Champions League Marcelo' should strike fear in Salah's heart
Cristiano Ronaldo explains why he goes topless
Ronaldo compares Liverpool's strikeforce to Real Madrid's
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says Real Madrid has no real weaknesses
Is a third-straight Champions League title enough to save Zinedine Zidane's job?
No two finalists have ever met with more European Cup or Champions League titles than Real Madrid and Liverpool.
Jose Mourinho considers the transfer door to Cristiano Ronaldo to have been closed for Manchester United, with a move away from Real Madrid “prohibited”. ...
Ryan Giggs is hoping to see Gareth Bale claim a fourth Champions League triumph, with the Manchester United legend backing a fellow Welshman to help Real Madrid down Liverpool.
General statistics - Extended
| Real Madrid | Team | Liverpool | ||||||
| 12 | Games Played | 12 | ||||||
| Rank | Goal Attempts | Rank | ||||||
| 2 | 30 | Goals | 40 | 1 | ||||
| 3 | 2.50 | Avg goals per-game | 3/33 | 2 | ||||
| 2 | 163 | Shots (excl blocked shots) | 152 | 3 | ||||
| 13 | 51.5% | % Shots on Target | 58.6% | 1 | ||||
| 10 | 18.4% | % Goals to Shots | 26.3% | 2 | ||||
| 7 | 3 | Headed Goals | 5 | 2 | ||||
| 1 | 4 | Penalties | 3 | 3 | ||||
| 1 | 4 | Penalty Goals | 1 | 8 | ||||
| 1 | 51 | Big Chances | 50 | 2 | ||||
| 20 | 43.1% | Big Chance Conversion | 56.0% | 6 | ||||
| 8 | 0 | Direct Free Kick Goals | 0 | 8 | ||||
| PASSING | ||||||||
| 2 | 7102 | Total Passes | 6458 | 5 | ||||
| 3 | 88.6% | Overall Pass Completion | 81.4% | 20 | ||||
| Crossing | ||||||||
| 2 | 270 | Total Crosses | 207 | 4 | ||||
| 7 | 27.4% | Cross Completion % | 23.7% | 18 | ||||
| Defending | ||||||||
| 24 | 15 | Goals Conceded | 13 | 16 | ||||
| 10 | 1.25 | Goals Conceded per-game | 1.08 | 6 | ||||
| 4 | 1176 | Duels | 1383 | 1 | ||||
| 3 | 52.6% | Duels Won % | 49.5% | 18 | ||||
| 30 | 144 | Shots Faced | 133 | 28 | ||||
| Discipline | ||||||||
| 29 | 124 | Fouls | 139 | 30 | ||||
| 30 | 21 | Yellow Cards | 19 | 25 | ||||
| 1 | 0 | Second Yellow | 1 | 21 | ||||
| 1 | 0 | Straight Reds | 0 | 1 | ||||
*More than one team has the best/worst value
Real Madrid - Squad Statistics
| Name | Matches | Starts | Goals | Assists | Yellow | 2nd Yellows | Straight Reds | Clean Sheets (GK) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||
| Keylor Navas | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| Kiko Cassila | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Moha Ramos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Defenders | |||||||||||
| Daniel Carvajal | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Jesús Vallejo | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Sergio Ramo | 10 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Raphael Varane | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Nacho | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Marcelo | 10 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Theo Henández | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Achraf Hakimi | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Midfielders | |||||||||||
| Toni Kroos | 11 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Luka Modric | 10 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Casemiro | 12 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Lucas Vásquez | 10 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Marco Asensio | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Isco | 10 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Mateo Kovacic | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Dani Caballos | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Forwards | |||||||||||
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 12 | 12 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Karima Benzema | 8 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Gareth Bale | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Borja Mayoral | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
- Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more Champions League final goals than any other player (4), with the Portuguese scoring in a record three different finals in the competition (since 1992-93 - 2008, 2014 and 2017).
- Ronaldo could become the first player to score in consecutive finals in the Champions League era, while the last player to do so in the European Cup was Franz Roth (1975 and 1976).
- Cristiano Ronaldo (15 goals, 3 assists) and Roberto Firmino (10 goals, 7 assists) are the two players with the most goal involvements in the Champions League this season.
- Casemiro has made 45 tackles in the Champions League this season, more than any other player.
- Sergio Ramos has picked up 34 yellow cards in the Champions League overall, more than any other player in the history of the competition.
Real Madrid - Player Goals
| Name | Goals | Penalties | Direct Free Kicks | Outside box (open play) | Inside box (open play) | Head | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cristian Ronaldo | 15 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 2 | ||
| Karim Benzema | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | ||
| Marcelo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Lucas Vázquez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Luka Modric | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Borja Mayoral | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Casemiro | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Gareth Bale | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Marco Asensio | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Nacho | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Sergio Ramos | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Liverpool - Squad Statistics
| Name | Matches | Starts | Goals | Assists | Yellow | 2nd Yellows | Straight Reds | Clean Sheets (GK) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||
| Loris Karius | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Simon Mignolet | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Defenders | |||||||||||
| Nathaniel Clyne | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Virgil van Dijk | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Dejan Lovren | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| James Milner | 10 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Joseph Gomez | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | |||
| Ragner Klavan | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Alberto Moreno | 8 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Andrew Robertson | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Joel Matip | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Jon Flanagan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Conor Masterson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Midfielders | |||||||||||
| Georginio Wijnaldum | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Coutinho | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Jordan Henderson | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Marko Grujic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Sadio Manè | 10 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Adam Lallana | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Alex Olade-Chamberlain | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Emre Can | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Ben Woodburn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Forwards | |||||||||||
| Roberto Firmino | 12 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Mohamed Salah | 12 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Daniel Sturridge | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Danny Ings | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
| Dominic Solanke | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | |||
- Liverpool’s trio of Mohamed Salah (10), Roberto Firmino (10) and Sadio Mane (9) have scored more goals than any other trio at a club in a single Champions League campaign, overtaking Real Madrid’s threesome of Cristiano Ronaldo (17), Gareth Bale (6) and Karim Benzema (5) in 2013-14.
- James Milner has provided a competition-high eight assists in the Champions League this season, while teammate Roberto Firmino is close behind on seven. No player has ever registered nine in a single campaign since Opta have this data available (2003-04).
- No player to have played for Liverpool this season has ever previously appeared in a Champions League final. Salah has scored more goals in his debut season for Liverpool than any other player in their entire history (44).
- Only Ian Rush (47 goals in 1983/84) has scored more goals for Liverpool in a single season in all competitions than Salah (44).
Liverpool - Player Goals
| Name | Goals | Penalties | Direct Free Kicks | Outside box (open play) | Inside box (open play) | Head | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Salah | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Roberto Firmino | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | ||
| Sadio Mané | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | ||
| Couthinho | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Alex Oclade-Chamberlain | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Emre Can | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Danniel Strurridge | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Georginio Wijnaldum | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Other soccer offerings on DAZN
In addition to the Champions League final, DAZN hosts a number of premier soccer matches and tournaments. DAZN regularly streams La Liga fixtures, as well as Serie A, Ligue 1, J-League, and MLS. Matches can be viewed live or on-demand in Canada.
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