Two of the most successful sides in European history prepare for war in the 2021-22 Champions League final, as Liverpool take on Real Madrid at the Stade de France.

Los Blancos have seen off Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City to make it this far and are aiming to get their hands on a record-extending 14th continental crown in Paris.

Meanwhile, Liverpool - seeking a seventh honour in Europe's primary competition - have eliminated Inter Milan, Benfica and Villarreal to book their spot in the showpiece event.

The two sides have played out a plethora of eye-catching battles down the years, and here Sports Mole takes a look at Liverpool and Real Madrid's head-to-head record ahead of the final.

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Liverpool and Real Madrid have met a total of eight times down the years in competitive action, with the Spanish side posting four wins compared to three for the Reds, and there has also been one stalemate between the sides.

Kicking things off with a bang, the maiden meeting between Liverpool and Real Madrid actually took place in Paris for the 1980-81 European Cup final, and the Reds lifted the trophy courtesy of Alan Kennedy's strike in a 1-0 win.

That result kickstarted a run of three successive victories for Liverpool against Real Madrid, as the Merseyside outfit demolished their Spanish counterparts in the last-16 of the 2008-09 Champions League.

Yossi Benayoun's header propelled Liverpool to a famous 1-0 win at the Bernabeu in the first leg, and Rafael Benitez's side would then thump Los Blancos 4-0 at Anfield for a 5-0 aggregate win, with Steven Gerrard scoring twice on the night.

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However, the tables have turned in recent memory, as it was then Real Madrid's turn to run out comfortable 4-0 aggregate winners over Liverpool during their two group-stage battles in 2014-15.

Then came Kyiv, Loris Karius, and Gareth Bale. The memories of 2018 are still lingering in the minds of the Liverpool crop, who saw Mohamed Salah leave the field in tears after a challenge from Sergio Ramos before Karius handed Real Madrid two goals on a plate and Bale came up with one of the greatest Champions League final goals in history.

History would repeat itself three years later for Liverpool, as after losing 3-1 in the 2018 final, Jurgen Klopp's side went down by the same scoreline at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano in the first leg of their quarter-final battle last year, with Vinicius Junior netting twice.

Liverpool could not turn the tie around behind closed doors at Anfield as the second leg ended goalless, meaning that the Reds meet Los Blancos now winless in five against them and scoring just twice in that time, but the travelling fans will hope to see the Merseyside menu come with a dish of revenge in Paris.