Jurgen Klopp has concerns over the pitch ahead of the Champions League final this evening.
Liverpool and Real Madrid are preparing to go head-to-head in Paris this evening in a repeat of the 2018 final.
The Reds are eyeing revenge for that evening, and are looking to make it a treble having already won the two domestic cups this season.
This season’s Champions League final was supposed to be held in Russia, but due to the Eastern European country’s attempted invasion of Ukraine, the final was moved.
It will now be held in Paris, and at the venue of the 2006 final between Arsenal and Barcelona – Stade de France.
Surprisingly, the pitch at the stadium was completely relaid as late as Tuesday, and there are concerns from Klopp that the surface won’t be sharp enough come kick-off.
“I don’t know how bad or good it is, I only saw it,” Klopp said, as per ESPN. “The refs were training on it and I saw the ball bouncing.
“Maybe it’s perfect, but it looks not perfect. I hope no one makes a story about ‘Klopp moaning about the pitch.’ I’m fine.
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“This pitch is new since yesterday, which is not the best news. But it will be the same for both teams. You can see the lines where they put the pieces of the pitch [together], which is what we aren’t used to.
“That someone thought it was a good idea to bring the pitch the day before to the stadium is an interesting idea. But it didn’t kill my mood a percent. I am really happy we are here, I would have played the game on pétanque.”
Both teams have already had the chance to train on the surface, with the usual UEFA stadium sessions taking place on Friday,
The next time they will set foot on the grass is this evening for the big final.
Klipperty Klopp getting his excuses in early, he has had a habit of moaning about pitches and short recovery times for many seasons.