Courtois has an impressive record saving penalties this
season, having stopped three of his five faced, including one from Lionel Messi
against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the last 16.
It proved a crucial moment as Madrid came back from 1-0 down
in the second leg to win the tie 3-2.
The Belgian was also instrumental in Madrid’s most recent
penalty shoot-out victory in 2020, as he dived to palm away Thomas Partey’s
shot in the final of the Spanish Super Cup against Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid
won their last Champions League final that went to penalties, also against
Atletico in 2016.
Courtois said he will be doing his homework on Liverpool’s
most likely takers while the 30-year-old said he is also ready to step up if
required.
“I remember in pre-season with Chelsea against PSG I scored
one and in the Community Shield against Arsenal I missed one,” said Courtois.
“(Antonio) Conte put me there because he knew I could shoot well, but obviously
standing on the spot, in an important moment, is different.
“I wouldn’t be one of the first five (takers), for sure, but
maybe after, if you need to shoot, you have to shoot. I don’t fear it. It’s a
moment to shine.
“We won one (shoot-out) against Atletico Madrid in the Super
Cup a few years ago when I saved one penalty. This season I have saved three.
“You study ahead. Against Chelsea we had two penalties and
you study them, because you can see the similarities. Hopefully it will not
come back to that but if it does, I will be ready.”
Mohamed Salah has already said he wants revenge for their
loss to Real Madrid in the 2018 final, when two errors by Liverpool goalkeeper
Loris Karius gifted Madrid the win.
Liverpool signed Alisson Becker a few weeks later for a
world-record 75 million euros and the Brazilian has been a revelation ever
since.
“He is a great goalkeeper,” said Courtois. “The times I have
played against him in England and with Real, he is one of the best goalkeepers
in the world.
“He has great quality and has saved Liverpool a lot of
times. Nowadays you need a good defence and goalkeeper and at the other end you
need strikers who score you goals, that is what takes you far.”
“If you go back 15 or 20 years it was really different,”
Courtois added. “To be a goalkeeper now you have to be a playmaker from the
back, you have to come out as a ‘libero’ to (meet) the ball in behind and run
out and take it.
“They expect you to be calm on the ball and to make decisive
passes but obviously you don’t have someone behind you that can save you
because you are the last man.
“You know that sometimes there can be a mistake and I hope
it is not coming for me. I don’t want to wish that on any goalkeeper.”
Real Madrid have shown their magic touch again in the
Champions League this season, after staging three consecutive comebacks against
PSG, Chelsea and then Manchester City to reach the final.
“You just have to see the games we played at home against
Paris, Chelsea and City. The moment we equalise or score that goal, the
reaction of the other team – you can see that they know what can happen,”
Courtois said.
“You can see at 1-1 against City, the reaction of the
players. That is what makes Madrid so special, that is why it is so amazing and
people talk so much about the history of Real Madrid.”
Real Madrid will be going for a record-extending 14th
European Cup while Liverpool will be chasing their seventh, to pull level with
AC Milan as the second most successful club in the competition’s history.
Liverpool have already won the League Cup and FA Cup in
England this season.
“We don’t have to go crazy because it’s a game that could go
back and forth,” said Courtois. “We have to be clear about how we want to play
and not play their game. We have to make them play our game, that’s the
important thing.”
AFP