Alaba: "I'm one hundred percent"

   MADRID, 24 May. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Real Madrid footballer David Alaba confessed to being "100 percent" for the Champions League final against Liverpool, a duel they face with "confidence" and a "great mentality", with teamwork as "one of the keys" to lift the title next Saturday (9:00 p.m.).

"I'm 100 percent fit, I've been preparing for a few weeks, working very hard. We're very confident, this club is always confident. We have the mentality to believe in ourselves," the defender told the media on the Day of Media from the white club in Valdebebas, on the occasion of the Champions League final dispute.

The center-back has not played since April 26, when he had to be substituted at half-time in the first leg of the semifinals of the highest European competition against Manchester City, a match for which he already forced. Since then, due to muscular discomfort, he has missed six games in a month in which Alaba has been able to follow a recovery plan with the aim of reaching the final in Paris in the best conditions.

The Austrian, who has already lifted the 'Orejona' twice with Bayern (2013 and 2020), faces "very excited" his first European final as a Real Madrid player. "We can feel that atmosphere in the team, you can see the emotion on our faces," he said about the preparation during these days before the appointment in Paris.

Opposite will be Liverpool, six-time champion of the competition, a team from which Alaba highlighted the "experience" of Juergen Klopp at the head of the 'red' bench. "I have played against him many times, also with Bayern when he was coaching Dortmund. His players always stand out because they are very powerful and with high intensity. Now they also have the ability to have the ball and play with the ball. He is a very good player. team," he analyzed.

"Maybe Thiago is the key to this. He has a lot of skill on the ball, he can see the players, he controls the game, faster, slower," he added of the Spanish midfielder, whose presence in the final is in doubt after retiring with physical problems from the last game of the English team.

Asked about the danger that a Salah with a desire for revenge could pose after the defeat in the 2018 kyiv Champions League final, he pointed out that the 'red' attack "is not only him". "They have a very strong offensive aspect. We have solutions, it won't be easy, but we have to work together, that could be the key," said the Austrian, before highlighting the team's "great mentality and great spirit" as " one of the keys of this season".

Finally, Alaba valued his close relationship with Eduardo Camavinga, whom he stressed "has many skills." "He is a great player for his age. He has learned a lot and has grown very quickly. Not only is he a great young player, we all love him, he helps us a lot," he concluded.