Gary Breen is confident Liverpool will be able to expose Real Madrid’s defensive weaknesses when they meet in the Champions League final.
Madrid are looking to secure a third consecutive European Cup triumph when they take on Jurgen Klopp’s men in Kiev on Saturday night.
Liverpool’s route to the final has been led by a formidable attacking trio involving Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.
And Breen believes Liverpool’s scoring prowess will prove crucial in their bid to lift the European Cup for a sixth time.
“We’ve watched [Virgil] van Dijk play for Southampton and obviously admired what he did at Celtic,” Breen told Off The Ball.
“And we predicted – despite the massive transfer fee – that he would bring a presence to that back four that’s been lacking since the days of [Jamie] Carragher and [Sami] Hyypia.
“He’s given them belief and a composure when balls come into the box. He can deal with the big types of centre forwards like Andy Carroll and deal with the quick ones.
“But I think the biggest thing he’s done more than anything is bringing confidence to those around him. [Dejan] Lovren looks more comfortable.
“At times [Simon] Mignolet would look unsure and try and come and get most things but get caught out. I think the two fullbacks - [Andrew] Robertson in particular - have been fantastic.
“[Trent] Alexander-Arnold is growing with every game but I’m not convinced he’s the finished article that people are suggesting.
“I think it will be interesting to see what Jurgen Klopp says to those fullbacks. Will he say to him just sit in? Protect the space because we know how dangerous [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Gareth] Bale are on the counter-attack themselves.
“The two fullbacks of Real Madrid; [Dani] Carvajal and Marcelo will be in advanced areas all the time. [Mohamed] Salah and [Sadio] Mane will have space. I don’t think the fullbacks need to congest it.
“Just sit back, put a good defensive block on and give the ball to those guys early on the turnover – and they’ll punish Real Madrid.”
Written by James Hopper
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