"Real Madrid should fear Liverpool", Lovren claims

Dejan Lovren says Liverpool are not scared of Real Madrid, and feels it is the Champions League holders who should be worried ahead of the final in Kiev. Madrid defeated Juventus in last season's final to become the first team since AC Milan to win back-to-back trophies.

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Real Madrid going for three triumphs on the trot

Despite being below their best domestically and failing to convince against Juve and Bayern Munich in the last two rounds, Zinedine Zidane's side have a chance to become the first team since Ajax and Bayern in the 1970s to win the competition three times in succession.

Lovren, though, is not intimidated by that impressive recent pedigree, Liverpool having blazed a trail to the showdown at NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium courtesy of impressive triumphs over Premier League champions Manchester City and Roma.  

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Lovren's fighting talk

"They [Madrid] are quite confident but we don't care for that, we are focused on our job," he said. "Why should we fear them? They should fear us." Not everyone was pleased to hear those words - least of all many Liverpool fans, who would rather the team did the talking out on the pitch.

Klopp has transformed Liverpool

According to the centre-back, the arrival of manager Jürgen Klopp at Anfield in October 2015 has had a transformational impact at Liverpool, on and off the field.  "He changed many things in the club. Not just the players but things around the club, people, he has changed the mentality, how we think. Everything is more positive now. Even when we sometimes don't play good, he always finds something good and there is not negativity. He deserves this. It is not accidental that he already reached the final of the Champions League in 2013 with Borussia Dortmund. He has given the club pride back. Everyone feels that, everyone lives that. Everyone should be proud that we have a manager like him."