The Holy Grail of club football/soccer will be on full display as the UEFA Champions League Final will be played later today. However, it almost feels like this is a Premier League Final (that would be really cool) as the two final European clubs to face off against one another are Liverpool and Tottenham. Premier League squads had used to struggle in the tournament, however, with this type of Final, that reputation has now all, but dissipated. Let’s take a look at each team and how they got here.
Liverpool
After falling apart late in the Premier League season and losing a chance to be crowned champions, Liverpool looks to redeem themselves by winning the biggest club tournament in the world. This will be their ninth Champions League Final appearance and their second consecutive. Liverpool finished second in their group behind Paris Saint-Germain, but went on to knockout Bayern Munich in the Round of 16, Porto in the quarter-finals, and rallied from a deep 0-3 deficit against Barcelona in the semi-finals. The team boasts such great talents as Roberto Firmino, Virgil van Dijk, James Milner, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Daniel Sturridge, Jordan Henderson, and Divock Origi.
Tottenham
The Spurs will be making their first Champions League Final, but hope to make it worth their while. There’s a lot to like here as the team has some incredible players like Harry Kane, Erik Lamela, Victor Wanyama, Dele Alli, Kieran Trippier, Jan Vertonghen, Eric Dier, Hugo Lloris, and Son Heung-min. Tottenham finished second in their group behind Barcelona, but went on to dispatch Borussia Dortmund in the Round of 16, Premier League foe Manchester City in the quarterfinals, and Ajax in the semi-finals.
Predictions
James Rowe: Tottenham. Liverpool is the overwhelming favorites and will be looking to make up for their late season Premier League collapse and avenge their loss in last year’s Champions League Final against Real Madrid. And that’s why I think Tottenham will win it as all the pressure is on Liverpool. Tottenham has all the talent to win this and as the underdogs, the pressure is off. Regardless, it should be a great match.
Rowe Sports Talk Network 