Recapping from Liverpool’s loss in the 2018 Champions League Final, their fans are so sure of beating Tottenham Hotspur in a battle tonight in this year’s UEFA Champions League at Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid.
This is the second-ever all-English Champions League final will put two teams with very different European histories against each other.
For Liverpool, Saturday represents a chance to win their sixth European Cup, redeeming themselves after last year’s heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in Kiev.
It has been over 13years that Liverpool has been champions of Europe, but their 14 years of waiting is still some way off the 21 seasons between their fourth and fifth European Cups.
The Reds’ early European Cup glory came as part of a mini-domination, winning six trophies in 11 years between 1972 and 1984, adding in their two UEFA Cup glories.
Liverpool has also finished runners-up in the European Cup/Champions League on three occasions. In stark contrast, this is Tottenham’s first ever Champions League final in only their fifth season in the continent’s premier club competition.
If Tottenham wins the UCL, they will be the second London team to win the European Cup after Chelsea – but before rivals Arsenal.
Head-to-head
The 2019 Champions League final will be the third time Tottenham and Liverpool have met in European competition, with both sides winning one leg of their 1972/73 UEFA Cup semi-final – with the Reds advancing on aggregate.
Liverpool has also won both of the previous games this season, taking their total tally against Tottenham to 82, compared to the London side’s 48, with 42 draws.
From the statement made by the coaches, Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham’ coach said: “The most important thing is to be free. To play like when you were young, a child, seven, eight, nine years old and you feel freedom.
“The key is not to think there's one billion people watching you. Tomorrow is about winning. We want to write history in football. We know very well what we need to do. Liverpool are a great team; Jürgen is a very successful manager. I admire him a lot. To arrive in the third personal final of the Champions League is chapeau and congratulations”.
In response to the battle statement, Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool’s coach said that:
“Finals are always different – you come with a different team, the circumstances are always different. If I was the reason for losing six finals in a row, then everyone needs to worry! But that's not the case.
“In the last seven years at least I'm probably the world record holder in winning semi-finals. If I was to write a book about it, probably nobody would buy it. It's a real football final. Now we both have to deal with that because it makes it really intense”.
Player Line-Up
Tottenham Possible Line-Up: Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Winks, Sissoko; Eriksen, Alli, Son; Kane
Out: none
Doubtful: Kane (ankle)
Liverpool Possible Line-Up: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mané
Out: Keïta (thigh)
Doubtful: none