"There isn't any sensation of fear in Madrid about Liverpool—among the directors, among the players," says Diego Torres, a journalist with El Pais.
"They're relaxed in Real Madrid before this final. They've never been so calm and confident in the club before a final than now. This final is the easiest final they have in front of them, all of them — Florentino Perez, the captains. Everyone."
"Liverpool will be crushed by Real Madrid's legend," Julian Ruiz wrote in El Mundo.
"They believe they are the kings of Europe—for Real Madrid, it certainly plays a part in their self-belief, in believing their own hype." says Phil Kitromilides, who works as a presenter for Real Madrid TV.
Tomas Roncero, a journalist with Diario AS says. "The other day they did a study and the Real Madrid squad has 46 Champions League-winning medals; Liverpool don't have a player who has won the Champions League."
When assessing Liverpool's mindset, critics in Madrid see a team with a soft underbelly, says the English broadcaster Kitromilides: "Liverpool are viewed as being a bit fragile mentally. If they were a boxer, they might have a glass chin. They can be got at. If it gets tough, they don't necessarily find a way to grind out results and hold on, like Real Madrid do. Even if Liverpool take the lead, Real Madrid won't be too terrified because of their strength mentally and Liverpool's perceived weaknesses."
When pundits in Madrid consider the squad at Jurgen Klopp's disposal, however, they see it is riddled with flaws. Apart from the vaunted attacking front three—Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane—it smells of mediocrity. It's a team made up of more artisans than artists.
"Liverpool probably is not even among the top 10 teams in Europe," says Torres, "because it doesn't have a good goalkeeper. It doesn't have a good defence. It only has one international-class defender—Virgil van Dijk. Its full-backs are very limited. Maybe they're strong, fast; they're able to do OK in the English Premier League, but none of them signed for Chelsea or Manchester City or Manchester United because they don't have the level to play for those teams. The full-backs for Tottenham Hotspur are much better than Liverpool's."
"Liverpool's midfield has players who are also forceful, disciplined, self-sacrificing. They know their profession. They are tradesmen. Footballers like Jordan Henderson and James Milner are footballers that lack creativity. There are other British teams with better midfielders. Liverpool doesn't have a player like Pogba, nor Gundogan, nor De Bruyne nor David Silva, nor Dele Alli in the centre of their midfield. Liverpool is missing footballers in this part of the pitch with ingenuity."
"If Klopp's his team doesn't attack like crazy, they're lost. They're dead because they don't have players who can defend a lead. They don't have a competent defence. They don't have a midfield that can dictate the rhythm of a game. This is the reason they attack like crazy."
