Trent Alexander-Arnold has been impressed by Vinicius Junior in Real Madrid's run to the Champions League final, but says Liverpool have a plan to deal with the Brazilian.
Vinicius has been directly involved in 37 goals for Madrid in all competitions this season, a tally that includes three goals and six assists in the Champions League.
With those nine goal contributions, Vinicius is one short of becoming the first South American player 21 or under to be involved in 10 or more since Lionel Messi in the 2008-09 campaign.
While it may be Karim Benzema who is at the centre of much of the pre-match focus in Paris, Alexander-Arnold will be tasked with dealing directly with Vinicius down Madrid's left.
Asked ahead of Saturday's showpiece at the Stade de France how he intends to go about stopping Vinicius, Alexander-Arnold said: "You expect to come up against the best.
"There will be battles all over the pitch; we have game plans for everyone we face.
"As for Vinicius, he's an exciting player to watch, but we have a job to do as a collective and as individuals. There are individual battles, but it's the team that wins."
Alexander-Arnold is set to start his third Champions League final, which would see him surpass the record for the youngest to do so, held by Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller (23y, 245d). Alexander-Arnold will be 23 years and 233 days old on Saturday.
The England international has started 46 games for Liverpool this season – only Virgil van Dijk (50) and Alisson (53) have been used from the beginning more often.
The most recent of Alexander-Arnold's starts came in last Sunday's 3-1 win against Wolves, which was not enough to prevent Manchester City from pipping the Reds to the Premier League title.
Despite the dream of a quadruple being ended, Alexander-Arnold insists that loss will not linger over Liverpool in the French capital.
"Not at all. We've put that behind us," he said. "We have the experience this season to focus on the competition we have ahead of us.
"For us, we've found it useful to ignore other competitions. Whatever has happened before last week, yes it was disappointing and hard to take, but you put it behind you.
"We have a Champions League final to prepare for and what better way to make up for it by coming to Paris and an amazing venue to win the best competition in the world."
Andy Robertson will almost certainly be selected on the opposite flank to Alexander-Arnold, with the left-back himself playing a huge part in the Reds' latest European run.
Liverpool are playing their 63rd game of the season – no side in Europe's top five leagues will have played more – having gone all the way in winning the FA Cup and EFL Cup.
Indeed, the last side from across the Premier League, LaLiga, Ligue 1, Serie A and Bundesliga to play more times in all competitions were Manchester United in 2016-17 (64 games).
Madrid have played 55 matches, meanwhile, and sealed the LaLiga title with four matches to spare, allowing Carlo Ancelotti to heavily rotate in recent weeks.
But Robertson is adamant that fatigue will not be an issue for his side against the Spanish champions.
"They've obviously had a bit more relaxed preparation and wrapped up their league two or three weeks ago," Robertson said.
"They've maybe not played as many games and at a high tempo. We knew how hard our run was going to be on our bodies, but we're in the best possible shape.
"We've come through a lot and yes we've had injuries and problems, but the lads are fully fit. It's important we take the competitive nature of a tough season into the last game.
"Real have had a fantastic season winning the league and being in incredible games in the Champions League, they've been a joy to watch.
"We have to stand in their way. Our fans demand a lot this season and we want to win it for them."
Man City title hopes rocked by Shaw injury
Manchester City's title hopes took a blow with the announcement that Khadija Shaw has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a foot injury.
Shaw currently sits top of the Women’s Super League golden boot race with 21 goals in 18 games this season, a total which puts her well ahead of closest rival Lauren James, who is eight behind.
But she picked up her injury during Man City's 5-0 WSL victory over West Ham last weekend, a match in which she had scored twice in the first half, and will now miss the crucial final weeks of the top-flight campaign.
City have been reliant on the Jamaican's goals this season and will miss her in what is likely to be one of the most exciting run-ins in WSL history.
Chelsea sit three points behind City, however they have a game in hand and goal difference could end up being the determining factor if both teams are able to win all their remaining games.
The Citizens’ manager Gareth Taylor confirmed the Shaw blow in his pre match press conference ahead of Sunday’s clash with Bristol City, saying: “We have an issue with Bunny, she’s sustained a foot injury which will keep her out of the game for certain and potentially longer.
“It’s such a difficult one for Bunny because she’s had an incredible season.
“We had a feeling it might be an issue when she came off the pitch [against West Ham] even though it was non-contact.
“She’ll be well looked after by the medical team.”
City will have to think about who can fill the shoes of their star striker, but Taylor was confident about his team’s options despite the injury to Shaw.
"Bunny is our main number nine, but Mary [Fowler] has played there, Lauren [Hemp] has played there. Chloe [Kelly] is capable of playing there, Jess [Park] can do a really good job there," he said.
"Of course, we all understand what Bunny brings, she is such a box player, she gives us a different way of playing. Now, we will have a different kind of number nine."
City did, however, have some good news to share as they have tied down Lioness Lauren Hemp on new three-year contract extension keeping her at the Joie Stadium until 2027.
Hemp has won four trophies, while scoring 65 goals in 157 appearances, and has been a key player in the evolution of Taylor’s side.
Man City have secured the winger, who was out of contract at the end of the season and has attracted the attention of some of Europe's elite clubs such as Barcelona.
This term she has proved as productive as ever for City, scoring nine goals and adding six assists. She will also be key in the coming matches after the news of Shaw's injury misery.
"I feel at home here in Manchester," Hemp said after signing the deal.
"With the squad we have here, we are always learning and it’s so special to be involved at a club where we’re capable of achieving anything.
"I’m so passionate about this club and there’s no place I’d rather be. I’m very excited to keep this journey going for the next few years."
Edwards urges Luton Town to ignore scrutiny on relegation battle
Rob Edwards is keen for Luton Town to ignore the scrutiny surrounding them in the relegation battle as they prepare for another big game against Wolves.
The Hatters sit one point from safety in the relegation zone after back-to-back 5-1 defeats against Manchester City and Brentford.
While Nottingham Forest also lost last weekend, being beaten 2-0 by Everton, Burnley beat Sheffield United to move them two points behind Luton.
Asked how he is handling the pressure of the relegation battle with only four games left, Edwards said: “The stakes are high already, we all know what it means and it's really important to everyone that's in this at the moment, a number of clubs that are still fighting to try and avoid it and be in the league next season, it's so important.
“Everyone wants to try and stoke the fire I think. We've got a title race on at one end and obviously, there's a relegation battle we're involved in. It's exciting, it's good that we're in the fight, and we've got a chance to get out of it, but really, all I am concerned about right now is our performance tomorrow.”
Glasner challenges Crystal Palace to extend winning run
Oliver Glasner is hopeful that Crystal Palace can maintain their recent winning run when they travel to Fulham on Saturday.
After a run of five games without a victory, the Eagles have won each of their last three games, beating Liverpool, West Ham and Newcastle United.
Their 2-0 win over the Magpies on Wednesday also secured their Premier League safety for another season.
Glasner has given credit to his team’s attitude in turning around their recent run of form but does not want them to slow down despite reaching their goal.
He said: “The players give us confidence because they are listening. Every day we were sitting here and having a meeting and showing them videos and nobody was sleeping, so that gives us good feedback!
"Now we have 39 points and I think it shouldn't be our target to say ‘39 points, oh well done, staying in the Premier League’ because then I would say 'come on guys, go wherever you want and take vacations' – but no.
"We want to improve, we want to win games, and we have the next chance tomorrow at Fulham."
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