Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that both Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale will be available for Real Madrid against Liverpool.
As quoted by Wales Online, Ancelotti said that he will be able to call upon both players in the Champions League final.
“(Eden) Hazard is fine. He can play in the final, Bale too,” he said. “All the players want to play, even if it’s five or 10 minutes.”
After the return of David Alaba to training, it looks like Ancelotti has a near-enough full squad to pick from in Paris.
Old guard unlikely to feature
Madrid are potentially going into Saturday’s final as slight underdogs against Liverpool. But it speaks volumes to the quality within their squad that neither Bale nor Hazard are likely to get on the pitch this weekend.
That won’t bother Liverpool fans. We’re still stinging from Bale’s double the last time the two teams met in the final in 2018.
Hazard too has an excellent record against Liverpool. It’s true that he is longer be the player he was. But he’s still got the quality to make a difference in the biggest games.
Instead, Liverpool will likely have to deal with the pace of Vinicius Junior and Manchester City conqueror Rodrygo.
Liverpool hoping for some good news
In contrast to Ancelotti, Jurgen Klopp has some very nervous days ahead as he waits on news from his physios. Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho are the two most pressing concerns, with both facing a race against time.
Mohamed Salah eased fears that he may not be ready by coming on, and scoring, at the weekend. Virgil Van Dijk may not have featured against Wolves on Sunday, but he has been in training and took his place on the bench.
Meanwhile, Klopp has already confirmed that Divock Origi won’t get the chance to add a second Champions League final goal to his repertoire. The Belgian will miss the game, and has played already played his last minutes in a Liverpool shirt.
The benefits of wrapping up the league title early have allowed Ancelotti to manage his squad. Liverpool may be slight favourites, but the fine margins so far look to be on the side of the Spanish Champions.