Michael Owen was one of the best English strikers of the 1990s and 2000s. The one from Chester played 481 official matches in his career scoring 221 goals and distributing up to 58 to multiple teammates between Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle, Manchester United and Stoke City.
His stage in the whites was brief and he did not finish fitting in. The striker arrived in 2005 with the 2001 Ballon d’Or under his arm as well as many titles with Liverpool. He emerged from the bottom of the reds, there he reached his best level until he won the precious golden award in an edition in which many still affirm that he should have been for Raúl.
The two shared a forward for a season in which Owen scored 16 goals in 45 games for whites before returning to England with Newcastle. Although he signed for Liverpool’s arch-rivals United and was booed at Anfield, Owen is fond of Liverpool as well as working as an ambassador for the club.
Thus, at the gates of the European final between two of his former teams, the Englishman does not hesitate to opt for the reds against the whites. “Liverpool is better than Madrid and can destroy them. My prediction is 3-1 or 3-0. I think they can beat them convincingly. They are an exceptional team and they are too good for Real Madrid”, he assured, leaving Anfield as top favorites for this Saturday’s match.
For the striker, Klopp will not change his tactics much in search of beating Real Madrid and they will play like just another game. “Liverpool will play like they normally do and it’s enough to win. Madrid is more likely to want it to be a more tactical final and I hope they play on the counterattack,” he added.
Despite giving the Whites a clear favoritism, Owen highlighted Real Madrid’s Champions League and how the accumulated comebacks give the Whites confidence. “Madrid have done phenomenally to reach the final. I’m sure they believe their name is already in the Cup after getting through the group stage and knocking out Chelsea in an incredible way. It was also unbelievable how they fired City, but I think Liverpool have a lot of experience and are very good. They won’t want to get into a duel with them because Madrid is the best team when it comes to knowing how to win tight matches,” he argued.
The English, aware of the partiality of his words, also wanted to have a good memory for the whites. “Everyone knows that I spent half my life at Liverpool. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great year (in Madrid), I met great people and had a wonderful experience. It was an honor to play in that white jersey in that stadium and I loved every minute of it. But I’m going with Liverpool.” he explained.
The keys of the meeting for Owen
For the British striker, the key to the match will be on the backs of both teams. Madrid will try to protect theirs a lot and will attack Trent Alexander Arnold’s according to Owen. The white man’s weapon? Vinicius.
“I think Liverpool will have a lot of the ball and Madrid will try to protect their spaces behind, but they will also try to make Liverpool dare to go up and try to attack their back. When Alexander-Arnold goes up, they have Vinicius and he can do a lot of damage. They will think that he is going to be a good weapon there. Benzema is also in his best season and seems better than ever despite being 34 years old. I think that if Liverpool control Benzema and Vinicius, they have much better players there,” he explained.
Facing Liverpool, three three-star names stand out. “I hope Luis Diaz plays. I think he has earned playing. These types of games are for Salah. Also for Van Dijk. He has rhythm and can come out of any problem well,” he added.
To sentence, Owen has already put this Liverpool as one of the best teams in history. “If Liverpool is the best in the world? This is one of the best teams ever. If they win the Champions League it will be three trophies and very little of the fourth. I don’t think there is a team, not in England at least, that has been as good a campaign. This is the best Liverpool I have ever seen,” he said.
