Liverpool’s friendly against Benfica B prepared them perfectly to beat Tottenham

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Liverpool played Benfica’s B side in Marbella during their preparations for the Champions League final, as per the club’s official website.

But the match was apparently far more than a gentle runaround to keep the players fit and fresh during the three-week gap between the end of the Premier League season and the showpiece final in Madrid.

The Reds reportedly studied Tottenham meticulously and got the Benfica shadow side to precisely mimic their movements in and out of possession to prepare for the game.

And while Jurgen Klopp’s side won a penalty within 30 seconds on Saturday, it took them just two minutes to open the scoring against the Portuguese side.

It was Sadio Mane bursting behind Kieran Trippier that won the penalty on the big occasion, and that was apparently foreshadowed by the Liverpool number 10 racing into a similar area to open the scoring early on in the friendly.

It’s tough to simulate a final, but given the way that Liverpool opened the scoring early and largely kept Tottenham at arms length, the impact of preparing their players for how Tottenham played was clear to see.

Of course, these days all sides are able to extensively scout and research their opponents, but Liverpool got themselves extra prepared – and it paid off.