JAKARTA - Ahead of the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool, Toni Kroos continues to monitor the movement of the opposing team. The Real Madrid midfielder is wary of the condition of Thiago Alcantara, the spirit of Liverpool's game who is recovering from injury.
Kroos' vigilance reflects on the moment four years ago. At that time, Kroos was one of the players who successfully led Madrid to beat Liverpool in the 2017/2018 Champions League final.
For Kroos, the current strength of the Reds continues to increase compared to four years ago. The existence of Thiago is one that is underlined by the senior midfielder from Germany.
"Honestly I think Liverpool are better now than 2018. They managed to keep their best players and bring in a few more," Kroos said of his opponent's development, quoted from AS.
"The presence of Thiago (Alcantara) sets the bar for strength in their (Liverpool) midfield, they are still very strong at the back and I think they are the best team in Europe this season in terms of consistency," Kroos continued.
Kroos actually has to be more vigilant as the final draws near. Because, although Thiago was previously reported injured after the match against Wolverhampton, now his condition is recovering and it is certain that he will participate in the final duel on Sunday morning.
Despite expressing vigilance to Thiago, on the other hand, Kroos also remains optimistic that Madrid can appear no less insistent with all possibilities on the field.
"But it (about Liverpool being strong) is only one game and we also have to take into account how we got rid of them last season in the quarter-finals. All possibilities are 50 per cent."
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