Gareth Bale says Liverpool players struggled to sleep before Champions League final in 2018

Gareth Bale has revealed that Liverpool players struggled to sleep ahead of their Champions League final against Real Madrid.

Back in 2018, Jurgen Klopp took Liverpool to their first Champions League since 2007 after a sensational run in Europe.

In Kyiv, they were up against Spanish giants Madrid, who were the defending champions.

Madrid ended up winning 3-1 with Bale scoring twice, a stunning overhead kick and a long-range effort that Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius fumbled into the net.

In a recent interview with BT Sport, Bale revealed that Liverpool players were struggling to sleep the night before the big match.

As per the Daily Mail, the Welshman said: “I remember talking to Liverpool players before the first Champions League final in which we faced each other.

“It was hard for them to sleep, they were nervous...we had a different mentality. We only thought of winning, and even more so in a final, despite the fact that they arrived playing better than us.”

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Adam Lallana, who was subbed on for the injured Mohamed Salah previously admitted he felt petrified during the match.

He said on Sky Sports’ Super 6 podcast: “Looking back now, I was petrified. Maybe petrified is a bit of a strong word, but looking back I feel like I'm in a position now where I can maybe say that.

“So I'd just come back from a big, big hamstring injury, I think I'd played 15 minutes of the last game of the [Premier League] season, and I just had no rhythm, no form.”

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He added: “We'd lost the Champions League final, and I remember kind of after it finished just being relieved I got through the game.

“I couldn't get near anyone. I couldn't get near Modric, I couldn't get near anyone. I was just running around. I felt like a rabbit in the headlights.”

Despite the disappointment in 2018, Liverpool reached the final again a year later and managed to seal their sixth European title after a 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur.