• Manager confident he can break run of six defeats in cup finals • ‘I have never been part of a final with a better team than this’

Jürgen Klopp has described Liverpool as the best team he has taken to a cup final and believes defeat in Kiev last May focused their mindset on winning this season’s Champions League.

Liverpool are aiming to become champions of Europe for a sixth time – and their manager to break a sequence of six consecutive final defeats – when they face Tottenham in Madrid on Saturday. Klopp insists his team are completely different from the one that endured painful defeat in the Champions League final against Real Madrid last season, when he claimed Liverpool were happy to surpass expectations and reach Kiev.

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Now, Klopp maintains, Liverpool will be satisfied only with lifting the first trophy of his Anfield reign. And he has the best opportunity to end that wait on Saturday, given the quality and character at his disposal.

The manager said: “I have never been part of a final with a better team than this. Our boys mixed our potential with attitude in the best way I have witnessed. That is brilliant, exceptional, and it brought us where we are. In the days between Barcelona and Barcelona I would say nobody believed more in this team than the team themselves. That is why we are here.

“It is a sensational situation. We didn’t expect it, we wanted it really desperately but it looked like it slipped through our fingers in the group stage when we struggled in the away games. But we did it in the most mature way.”

Klopp noticed a determination to avenge the defeat against Real among his players as soon as they resumed pre-season training last summer. “It had a big influence on us,” he said of the 3-1 defeat. “When we stood in the queue in the airport in Kiev on the way home, all in tracksuits, heads down, disappointed, there was a lot of different emotions. But the plan was, we come again. Now we are there, that is just incredible.

“I think every team that loses a final thinks they will put it right. They don’t all have the chance. We do. It was the kickstart for the development of this team. From the first day of pre-season when we were all together, it was a big step for the boys. This team is not even to be compared with the team of last year. Last year we wanted to be in Kiev. This year we wanted to win it wherever the final is. There’s a big difference just in our mindset.”

Klopp confirmed Naby Keïta will miss the final with the groin injury he sustained at Barcelona while Roberto Firmino, who missed Liverpool’s past three matches because of a muscle problem, is on course to play. Firmino trained alone at Melwood on Tuesday but is expected to rejoin the group sessions on Wednesday.

The manager also admitted that a Champions League triumph would rank as the highlight of his career. “The biggest moment of my career was getting promoted with Mainz in 2004. But winning the Champions League with Liverpool? That would make me think of something new.”

Quick guide Liverpool player guide Show Hide Alisson Goalkeeper Season apps 50 The great-grandson of an amateur goalkeeper in his hometown, the Brazil No 1 replaced his brother, Muriel, at Internacional. Trent Alexander-Arnold Right-back Season apps 40 Goals 1 When Liverpool last won the Champions League in 2005, he had just signed for the club as a six-year-old. Andy Robertson Left-back Apps 51 Goals 0 Released by Celtic aged 15, he worked at M&S in Glasgow while playing as an amateur for Queen’s Park. Has never lost a Liverpool game at Anfield. Virgil van Dijk Centre-back Apps 53 Goals 6 World’s most expensive defender at £75m. Worked as a dishwasher at the Oncle Jean restaurant in Breda when he was 16. Joël Matip Centre-back Apps 30 Goals 1 Born in Bochum, he represented his father’s country, Cameroon, before retiring from international duty in 2015. Dejan Lovren Centre-back Apps 18 Goals 1 Said he should be recognised as “one of the best defenders in the world” after helping Croatia to the World Cup final. His family escaped to Germany during the Bosnian war. Joe Gomez Centre-back

Apps 24 Goals 0 The versatile defender joined Liverpool from Charlton, where he made his first-team debut aged 17. Has represented England at every level. Georginio Wijnaldum Midfielder

Apps 46 Goals 5 His double against Barcelona sent Liverpool to the final. Started his career at Sparta Rotterdam, where his younger brother, Giliano, plays. Fabinho Midfielder Apps 40 Goals 1 Before joining Monaco, the Brazilian had a spell on loan at Real Madrid from Rio Ave in 2013, making one appearance. Jordan Henderson Midfielder Apps 45 Goals 1 Given his England debut by Fabio Capello. The only English player to miss in the World Cup shootout against Colombia. James Milner Midfielder

Apps 44 Goals 7 Last season, his nine assists broke the record for a single Champions League campaign. He is England’s most-capped under-21 international. Mohamed Salah Forward

Apps 51 Goals 26 Was excused military service in Egypt to focus on football. The fastest Liverpool player to score 50 Premier League goals, taking 69 matches. Roberto Firmino Forward

Apps 47 Goals 16 He used to help his father in the family business selling water bottles. Was the Bundesliga’s 2013-14 breakthrough player of the year. Sadio Mané Forward Apps 49 Goals 26 Scored the fastest Premier League hat-trick for Southampton against Aston Villa in 2015 in two minutes and 56 seconds. Divock Origi Forward

Apps 20 Goals 6 His father played 120 times for Kenya. His double against Barcelona was the first time he'd scored in the Champions League. Xherdan Shaqiri Forward

Apps 30 Goals 6 The only player in the Liverpool squad to have won the Champions League. Harry Vavasour

Georginio Wijnaldum, whose two goals in the sensational semi-final victory against Barcelona played a crucial role in Liverpool’s passage to Madrid, is equally excited about the match on Saturday but has described it as a “50-50” contest.

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“Spurs are a good team and anything can happen over 90 minutes,” Wijnaldum said. “We might have finished higher in the league but a final is 50-50. I don’t really think about being favourites because both teams can win this game.”

“Anything can happen but we are relaxed and training well. I wouldn’t say we are a team under pressure. This is just another opportunity for us.”

The game on Saturday provides Wijnaldum with another chance to face his former Newcastle teammate Moussa Sissoko. The pair remain friends. “Moussa looked after me when I first came to England,” Wijnaldum said. “ He helped me settle in, he even brought me something to eat. We’ve come a long way but we still have memories of Newcastle.”