LivescoreTottenham vs Liverpool: Everything You Need to Know About This Year’s Champions League Final
It’s finally clear which two teams are going to face one another on the 1st of June in Madrid in the final of the Champions League. Both Tottenham and Liverpool have booked a spot at the Estadio Metropolitano after heart-stopping performances in the semis. The Reds got there after beating Barcelona 4:3 on aggregate, while a dramatic stoppage-time goal in Amsterdam got the Spurs to the final.
Meet the Teams
Tottenham
The team from London is currently ranked 18th in the UEFA club ranking, which isn’t too impressive but the Spurs have managed to leave behind some teams from near the top. For example, they knocked out Manchester City in the quarter-finals.
The Spurs got there after finishing in the second place in their group and after defeating Dortmund 4:0 on aggregate in the round of 16. In the semi-finals, they played an unforgettable doubleheader with Ajax. In London, it was 1:0 for the Dutch and even in most parts of the second leg, it seemed Ajax are going to get to the final. But, then Lucas Moura happened.
The forward scored a hat-trick in Amsterdam, with the final goal happening in the closing seconds of the game. The final score on aggregate was 3:3 but due to the away goal rule, Tottenham are now the ones to play the big final.
And the most impressive thing about their road to the Champions League final is that they’ve been struggling with injuries for most of the time. Harry Kane, for example, who’s their most expensive player, was out in both games against Ajax. The good news for Tottenham fans is that he’ll be back for the final. And the same goes for a couple of other first-team players, including Harry Winks, Erik Lamela, and Serge Aurier.
Liverpool
Similarly to Tottenham, the team from the north of England also had a turbulent road to the final. After finishing as the runners-up in the Group C, the Reds had to play against Bayern Munich in the round of 16. It’s needless to say that their chances didn’t seem too bright at that point, but they surprised everyone and knocked out the German giant without too much fuss. It was 3:1 for Liverpool on aggregate.
Then in quarter-finals, Liverpool had to take on Porto, a team that came into this duel super-confident after knocking out AS Roma. However, their confidence quickly proved to be unjustified. Liverpool hammered them 2:0 in England and 4:1 in Portugal.
And then, their biggest challenge came. They had to face mighty Barcelona in the semi-finals. Even before the first game, the Catalan side looked like the favorite for the title. And they showed why they were the favorites by beating the Reds 3:0 at Camp Nou. Two weeks later, everyone thought Liverpool are going to say farewell to the Champions League. But then, a real miracle happened at the Anfield.
Liverpool came into the game without a number of their key men, including their superstar, Mohamad Salah. The situation in the Reds’ locker-room probably made Barca players feel relaxed, which later proved to be a huge mistake. The loud rumble from the stands, super-motivated players, and tactically-wise coach created an unforgettable spectacle at the Anfield, eventually beating Barcelona 4:0. The most impressive thing about this feat is that Liverpool did this in the midst of their Premier League title race with Man City.
Prediction & Betting Tips
It’s the Champions League final, so anything can happen here. Still, one thing is certain – we’re in for a big spectacle! Actually, since the competition was established by this name in 1992, only one final finished without goals in the regular time. It was 16 years ago when AC Milan and Juventus played 0:0.
And considering the amount of talent Tottenham and Liverpool have in the final third, such a scenario seems almost impossible to happen. With Kane, Son, and Moura on one, and Salah, Sane, and Firmino on the other side, it seems likely we are going to see some goals here. ‘Some’ might not be the right word here, because we saw a lot of goals in their recent couple of duels. In fact, there was at least two goals per game in each of their previous eight meetings.
Apart from betting on a large number of goals, nothing else seems like a safe bet. Sure, the Reds are the favorites according to the bookies, but you can be sure the Spurs won’t give up without a fight. That said, it won’t be a big surprise if we see the final going into the extra time.
Everyone is expecting this to be a match to remember, so maybe we’re going to witness some shocking moments in this game. Maybe we’ll see some red cards? After all, we haven’t seen them in the duels between these two since 2013. Maybe we’ll see some missed penalties, an own goal, or goals in stoppage time. If you think something special will happen on June 1, all you need to do is find a sportsbook that has these sorts of things in the offer. Mind you, all the best soccer betting sites will have these sorts of bets in their offer.
A Final for History Books
Even if nothing out of the ordinary happens in the big final, the game itself is already historical. This is the first all-English Champions League final since 2008. It’s also only the second time two English teams play in the final Champions League or its predecessor, the European Cup.
Another important milestone is that this is the first Champions League final for Tottenham in the club history. And for Liverpool, this is their second consecutive final. Last year, they lost the trophy to Real Madrid; this time, they’re determined to come out on top.
This match is also the first Champions League to take place at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, which was reconstructed in 2017, since then it’s been the home venue of Atletico Madrid. Neither Tottenham nor Liverpool have ever played a game at this stadium. For one of them, the battle of Wanda Metropolitano will go into history books as a proud moment.