'Concern' over UCL final pitch as Alisson takes 'special training' and Klopp reacts

A new surface had been rolled out onto the Stade de France just two days before the Reds take on Real Madrid, which drew criticism from Klopp and pundits ahead of the game.

France's national stadium will host the final which they were awarded in March after the original venue, St. Petersburg's Gazprom Arena, was stripped of the honour following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A concert for a French rock band went ahead at the Paris venue just a week before the final, with a new playing surface then laid less than 48 hours before the showpiece event.

The news drew particular ire from Klopp, who said: "Usually when I say the pitch looks new, that is good news. This pitch is new since yesterday, which is not the best news - but it will be the same for both teams.

"I saw the refs with their session and the good news is, the ball drops normal.

"You can see the lines where they put the pieces of the pitch [together], which is what we aren't used to.

"That someone thought it was a good idea to bring the pitch the day before to the stadium is an interesting idea.

"But it didn't kill my mood a per cent. I am really happy we are here, I would have played the game on a petanque [boules] court.

"I think both teams are technical teams and you would wish - in a dream world - that the pitch is the best you ever saw in your life.

"That's obviously not the case. You will hear the same from Carlo [Ancelotti].

"Definitely, if you win you don't care about the pitch, that is easy to say. I don't know how bad or good it is, I only saw it. Maybe it's perfect but it looks not perfect.

"But I hope no one makes a story about 'Klopp moaning about the pitch' - I'm fine. I saw it and it could look different but let's get a feel of it.

"Normally these kind of sessions are for media, we are made to come, but today I am really happy we are here so we can feel it and pass a few balls on it."

talkSPORT's Andy Townsend was at the Stade de France to witness the Reds training, and noticed they were already taking the new playing surface into account.

He said: "The goalkeeping coaches were firing balls towards Alisson [Becker] from the edge of the box, hitting them deliberately into the floor around the six yard area just to see how it comes off the surface.

"So clearly there's a concern there, and why wouldn't there be, of course, a new pitch being laid you're not quite sure exactly how it's going to react, you just want to understand the bounce a little bit.

"They were watering it as the Liverpool players were warming up and going through their routines, they were watering areas of it all around them, so it's far from ideal.

"I understand that they feel they had to do it, they feel they had to make those changes, but there's nothing worse than a brand new pitch particularly if it plays a bit unpredictable and it's flat in areas."

Stephane Henchoz, who won a cup treble with Liverpool in 2001, also spoke to talkSPORT about the playing surface.

He told the Weekend Sports Breakfast: "I saw the pitch yesterday and you could see it's a brand new pitch, and obviously when you do that you need a good two weeks to make sure the pitch is in a good condition.

"It won't be the best, that's for sure, we could see that.

"I think there was a concert last Saturday and they wouldn't cancel it, unfortunately, so they have had to have a brand new pitch this week.

"I think it's a bit of a shame, but hopefully it won't affect the quality of the game itself."

Tune into talkSPORT for LIVE commentary of Liverpool vs Real Madrid in the Champions League final - Saturday May 28 - Kick-off: 8pm BST