Champions League Final Preview: Tottenham Hotspur -v- Liverpool

Macdara Ferris reports from Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

The challenge for Spurs in Saturday’s Champions League Final is that they face a very familiar domestic foe in Liverpoool who, along with their rich (and recent) European pedigree, have had the upperhand over Tottenham, not just in the last Premier League campaign but in recent seasons. 

However you wouldn’t bet against Spurs after a Champions League campaign which has had so much drama. Tottenham have already faced and overcome considerable challenges simply to make it here to Madrid. 

They lost two of their opening three group games – no team previously had done did this and went on to make the final - before finding late goals against both Inter Milan and PSV. That gave Mauricio Pochettino’s men the belief that they could score late against Barcelona. Lucas Moura grabbed them goal that night to send them into the latter stages of the competition on goal difference at the expense of Inter.

It wasn’t the last time the Brazilian would be the hero. The final goal of his hat-trick in the 95thminute in Amsterdam give us a semi-final result that simply couldn’t be scripted – winning the second leg 3-2 to progress on away goals.

The Spurs manager wasn’t looking to hype his players up but speaking to the media in the stadium on Friday evening he said the most important thing is that his players play with “freedom” in the final

He is asking for them “to play like when you were young, a child of seven, eight or nine years old, and you played with freedom. The key is not to think that there are one billion people watching you.

“It’s about going there, enjoying, playing, running, all together, helping each other with good communication. That is going to be the key because, of course, Liverpool is a great team. 

“They have a lot of quality and they are going to be ready to fight. But, in the end, we are going to try and hope that the best team wins, and that the best team will be Tottenham.”?



Pochettino’s men dropped away domestically at the end of the season and have had a long break – as have Liverpool – since their last game. That gap though has given Harry Kane time to recover from injury and he should be available. ‘Poch’ though has such a wealth of talent with Christian Eriksen, Lucas Moura, Heung-Min Son – who have starred when Kane has been unavailable – and it might be a case that the England striker will be sprung from the bench.

The Argentinian kept  his cards close to his chest on Friday regarding his team line up, saying not only are his players unaware of his team for the final but that he hadn’t decided the starting XI either. 

LIVERPOOL

This Champions League final – just the second such all-English occasion – sees two clubs who haven’t been champions domestically for a combined total of 87 years  take each other on. Liverpool came as close as possible to winning the Premier League. Indeed in any other season, Liverpool’s 97 points total would see them coming to Madrid looking to make it a double having aleady claimed the English title. 

Pipped by Manchester City, they come into the final having beaten Spurs twice in domestic action this season. 



“I know people probably say that this year we are the favourites,” said Klopp when he spoke to the media in the Estadio Metropolitano before he took his team for a pre-match session on the pitch. “[That’s] because we had much more points in the league, but if you saw the games against Tottenham, it was 2-1 both times (for Liverpool).”

“Especially in the home game, we won with a very strange goal I would say. In both games, we were really good. Anyway, it was only 2-1. So, there is no advantage before the game. We can work for advantages, we can work for spaces, we can work for opportunities in this game tomorrow, but you have to do it in the game.?

His side also have recent form in this competition making it to successive European Cup finals (the third time the club has done this), coming only three years from the club’s appearance in the Europa League Final in Basel. They will have the bitter taste of last year’s final defeat to Real Madrid fresh in their memory – to go with their rich history in this competition but with Alisson Becker in the goal for the Reds they better positioned than in the final in Kiev 12 months ago. 

Like Spurs, they have the momentum of an incredible semi-final second leg win that carries them here to the heat of Madrid – temperatures are expected to be over 30 degrees at kick off tomorrow evening. Their 4-0 second leg win over Barcelona added to the legacy of famous European nights at Anfield – extending their unbeaten European run at home to 19 matches. 

Jugen Klopp has the chance to cement his place in Liverpool history if he can secure his club’s sixth European title. When he was involved in an all domestic German Champions League Final in 2013, he couldn’t get the better of Bayern Munich but will hope that in this derby type final his team will prevail.

Their firepower up front with Firmino, Mo Salah and Sadio Mane has grabbed four goals each in the competition this season and with Klopp confirming Firmino is fit that might make all the differece. 

Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)

MATCH STATS

Spurs have only managed to get the better of Liverpool once in their last 14 encounters over the past six seasons. The Reds won both of the Premier League games between the sides this season. At Wembley back in September, Firmino and Georginio Wijnaldum grabbed the goals with Erik Lamela scoring late on for Spurs. It was another 2-1 win for Liverpool in the more recent encounter. Again Firmino was on the scoresheet only for Lucas Moura to equalise. Toby Alderweireld got the winner as his own goal in the last minute cost his team the match.

Liverpool are seeking their sixth European Cup victory while Spurs are looking to become the sixth club to win all three major UEFA club trophies – Ajax, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Juventus and Manchester United have all managed that feat previously.

Spurs have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five fixtures whereas Liverpool have six in their last nine matches.

BETTING

Spurs 18/5; Draw 11/4; Liverpool 11/12.

PREDICTION
2-1 win for Liverpool after extra time

Liverpool

Injured: Naby Keita

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: None.

Tottenham

Injured: None.

Doubtful: Harry Kane

Suspended: None

    About Macdara Ferris

    Macdara Ferris is a contributor since 2007 to Hoops Scene (Shamrock Rovers' match day programme) and is the co-author of two books on Shamrock Rovers - 'Tallaght Time: Shamrock Rovers 2009 to 2012' (with Karl … View Full Profile