'Could really hurt Liverpool': Michael Owen says Ancelotti will try to 'expose' one Reds player in CL final

By Shamanth Jayaram

The Champions League final is almost here and Michael Owen has warned Liverpool that Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr could target Trent Alexander-Arnold in the game tomorrow.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have had a truly phenomenal campaign. They’ve played every single game in every competition they’ve been involved in this season, and they’ve already won two of the four trophies that were up for grabs.

Liverpool will do everything they possibly can to complete the treble tomorrow, but it will not be easy. Owen believes the Reds will comfortably win the game, but the Englishman has named the one player Carlo Ancelotti will try to ‘expose’ in Paris.

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Michael Owen says Trent Alexander-Arnold could get exposed vs Vinicius Jr

Speaking about the Champions League final, Owen, who has played for both Real Madrid and Liverpool, told The Daily Mail: “I think Liverpool will probably have a lot of the ball because I think Madrid will be keen to prevent spaces in behind them for the likes of Salah and Mane to run into. 

“But, I also think they will want to sit deep to actually encourage Liverpool to play that high line and then try to exploit it on the counter-attack.

“When Trent Alexander-Arnold moves forward, they’ve got Vinícius that could really hurt Liverpool in that position. Everybody does the same thing and everyone tries it. Whether you can actually do it is another matter. 

“No question Madrid will be looking at Liverpool’s high line, they’ll be looking at Trent going forward a lot and they’ll be thinking Vinícius is going to be a weapon. I think Ancelotti will try to expose that area and Vinícius will be one of their key components.”

TBR View:

The biggest individual battle of the night in Paris tomorrow could well be between Vinicius Jr and Alexander-Arnold.

The Real Madrid man is absolutely rapid. His skills on the ball are magnificent and his numbers – 21 goals and 20 assists in all competitions – prove that he’s more than capable of scoring and creating goals at any moment in the game.

Alexander-Arnold’s defending has been a huge topic of discussion for a while now, but it has to be said that he has improved tremendously in that area. The ‘Trent can’t defend’ claim is just lazy analysis at this point and needs to stop.

A good performance against Vinicius Jr in the Champions League final tomorrow could well end that argument once and for all.

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