Tottenham and Liverpool Charge for the Cup
For Tottenham Hotspur F.C., the 65th UEFA Champions League Final marks a momentous occasion. Unlike Liverpool F.C., who found themselves in the final eight times prior, the last match in the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium of Madrid is the first chance for the Spurs to win the championship. The British Premier League rivals will play each other for the silver cup on June 1, 12:00 p.m. PDT.
Though Tottenham seems like the underdog with Liverpool winning the Championship title six times before, the Spurs have a well-rounded team with major forwards such as Son Heung-min (7) and Lucas Moura (27) taking the field. Meanwhile, star striker Harry Kane (10) is still recovering from injury, and it is unclear if he will appear in the final.
“Rehab is going well,” Kane said to BBC. “We beat Man City and Ajax, so I have to start training even harder to prove myself to the gaffer.”
Even with the absence of Kane, Tottenham shocked the world this past season when it took a dramatic victory against tournament-favorite Manchester City, putting a stop to City’s quadruple dream. Earlier this month, the team again secured a close victory against AFC Ajax and earned the golden ticket to the final match.
Loading ...Meanwhile, Liverpool will once more boast its strong teamwork and strategic playing style made possible by key players including Mohamed Salah (11) and Sadio Mané (10), both winners of the Premier League Golden Boot of the 2018-2019 season. On the defensive line, experienced defender Virgil van Dijk (4) will sturdily hold back the Tottenham offense.
“We have to play the football we stand for. We have to play LFC football. That’s the plan, and then it will still be difficult, but it was difficult in all the other games as well,” Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said in an interview with UEFA. “We know that already, so why should we think too much about it? If we are really at our absolute top level then we are a difficult team to play against, but we know Tottenham are as well.”
Allowing the managers to strategize their match with more flexibility, each team will be permitted a substitute lineup of 12 players, instead of the conventional seven. Most likely, Liverpool’s more experienced veterans will propel it to a 2-1 victory over Tottenham tomorrow.
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Priscilla Baek is Portola’s Media Director. She has spent five years of her life in Yemen immersed in charitable organizations. With a passion for writing...
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