There are plenty of stats about Karim Benzema's season. Let's just do them in bullet point form...

• He won the La Liga Golden Boot with 28 goals, nine clear of anybody else.
• He is joint-second alongside Raul (both 323) in Real Madrid's all-time leading goalscorers, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo (450).
• He is joint-third alongside Robert Lewandowski (86) in the leading Champions League goalscorers.
• With 15 goals, he is the leading Champions League goalscorer this season. Only Ronaldo (17 in 2013-14, 16 in 2015-16) has netted more in a season.
• He has scored 10 knockout goals this season - equalling Ronaldo's 2016-17 record.

Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold: "To even be in with a chance of a second Champions League title at this age is special for me.

"There's been many legends of the game who haven't had this opportunity. It's a privilege but we have a world-class opponent in front of us.

"You can try your best to say it's another big game but everything around it, it's something we don't do regularly.

"I think we embrace these occasions. These are the ones in your mind when you're working hard behind the scenes.

"We deserve to be here."

BBC Journalist Nick Parrott is outside the ground in a personal capacity speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "I have just been pepper sprayed for the first time in my life. I have been to the Champions League final before and I have never been pepper sprayed before.

"I was outside Gate Y which has been opening and closing repeatedly over the last hour and a half but nobody has been going through. The security staff on the other side advanced and sprayed pepper spray.

"I have seen 10 fans trying to climb over fences. Gate Z is open but there does not seem to be any movement going in. I have never seen this sort of chaos at any match I have been to in a personal capacity.

"The Liverpool fans are trying to move themselves back from these gates to try and get in but the authorities seem to be doing nothing. I came to get into the stadium at seven o'clock.

"I got through the outer perimeter where there is crushing. I came round in good time and it was quite clear that we were not going to get in before nine o'clock."

Six Liverpool players will appear in their third Champions League final for the club - Andrew Robertson, Jordan Henderson, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk.

Roberto Firmino and James Milner are both on the bench.

Georginio Wijnaldum is the only one to play in the previous two and not still be at the club.

The kick-off has been knocked back another 15 minutes. The new kick-off time is 20:30 BST.

Liverpool's players have just come out to warm up again. It's hard to see this game kicking off in eight minutes.

This becomes the first fixture to be played in three European Cup or Champions League finals.

Liverpool won 1-0 in 1981 and lost 3-1 in 2018.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was in charge of Liverpool's neighbours Everton last season - two reasons Toffees fans might be supporting the Spanish team.

"I know that the Evertonians support us on Saturday, for sure," said the Italian.

"I know there is a big rivalry on Merseyside. I have a good memory from my time spent in Liverpool on the blue side and I'm sure they will support me."

Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, speaking to BT Sport: "You hope the police can control it in the right way. You want it to be a positive experience and to be talking about the action on the pitch.

"You don't want an unsavoury event. The traffic was horrendous on the way. Let's hope everyone gets home safely.

"It wouldn't surprise me if there were 60,000-80,000 Liverpool fans in Paris."

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher to BBC Radio 5 Live: "I think Liverpool are most people’s favourites and maybe you get more nervous when you are the favourite – it’s yours to lose.

"What Jurgen Klopp has done here in unbelievable.

"The obvious battle is Trent vs Vinicius, we leave space behind our full-backs so it is a team problem not a Trent problem. But I don’t see that changing and we will back ourselves.

"Jurgen Klopp is a legendary figure at the club and already has four more years. When he finally finishes we will be seeing him as a Paisley, Shankley figure. To get Liverpool back on the map and being one of the best teams in Europe, he will be remembered the same way."

Spanish clubs have won their past 16 European finals against non-Spanish sides.

The last time a foreign team beat a Spanish team in the final was the 2001 Champions League when Bayen Munich beat Valencia on penalties.

Earlier that year, Liverpool beat Alaves 5-4 in extra time in the Uefa Cup final.

Image source, Getty Images

Today is likely to be Real Madrid's final game before Gareth Bale leaves the club.

I think I'm fair in speculating they won't be handing the Wales captain, 32, a new deal.

If Real win today - even though Bale is unlikely to feature - the Welshman would become the joint most successful player in Champions League history.

Paco Gento won six of the old-money European Cups but five is the record for Champions Leagues, with several players level. Bale has four.

He has scored 106 goals in 258 games for Real, including three goals in Champions League finals.

Real assistant coach Davide Ancelotti said: "Gareth is loved around the place, from the coaching staff to his team-mates.

"This season he has struggled with injuries but we are happy to have him available for the final.

"He already gave a lot of trophies to Real Madrid and has a chance to give the club another one.

"He has written the history of the club because, if you see the pictures of the trophies in the big moments of Real Madrid, there is Gareth and, of course, he will be remembered there."

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Stade de France

It is no surprise the Champions League final kick-off has been delayed. Thousands of fans were in a bottleneck just beyond an underpass when I tried to get near the stadium a couple of hours before and there was huge build up at the gates well before the scheduled start of 21:00 local time.

The atmosphere was already thick with tension even then because the queue was not moving. Those queues were certainly building up at the entrance I initially tried to get into well in advance of the kick-off.

Alan Shearer
Former England striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

We have to hope that everyone outside is OK. For the players their preparation is meticulous to the minute. They have warmed up and their day has been designed for kick-off at a certain time.

Now they are back in the dressing room, they don't know how long they have to sit around for or stretch for. The delay is no good for the players either.

They might have to come out and do another warm-up.

Chris Sutton
Former Premier League striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

The amazing thing is that there are Liverpool fans at the moment that think this team is better team than the teams of previous eras, the Paisley era, the Fagan era, the Shankly era.

They are immortals and legends of the club and it is great to look back but this Liverpool team is setting their own standards.

Spanish clubs have won four of their five European Cup finals against English teams.

The exception was... Liverpool v Real Madrid in Paris.

Back in 1981, Liverpool beat Real 1-0 at the Parc des Princes with the goal scored by left-back Alan Kennedy.

Current left-back Andy Robertson said: "We've got a world-class opponent against us. I've not thought about repeating Alan Kennedy. If I score, so be it."

Julien Laurens
French football expert on BBC Radio 5 live

Karim Benzema is in the form of his life at the age of 34. At that age you are usually on the way down. He is on the way up. For him to play like this and lead the team like this is remarkable.

This is a special night for him. His whole family is across the pitch from us. He is not going to have another occasion like this. This is the night where he has to deliver.

The talent has always been there. When Cristiano [Ronaldo] left he had to take that leadership role over and be the key guy.