Football

Champions League final 2019 prediction: How will Tottenham vs Liverpool play out?



Liverpool face Tottenham in the 2019 Champions League final this weekend.

The Reds took their place in a second consecutive final after coming from behind to dump out Barcelona in the semi-finals.

Spurs needed some second-leg heroics themselves with Lucas Moura grabbing the latest of winners to send them through against Ajax.

They now meet each other in Madrid for the right to call themselves European champions.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Prediction

The psychology of a one-country final makes this one tough to call. Liverpool are clearly the better team – their league position illustrates that fairly neatly – and they arrive in Madrid in better form too.

But Tottenham arguably shaded it the last time they met with Hugo Lloris’ calamitous error handing the Reds victory at the very end.

Spurs will hope to start as they ended then, that mistake aside, with Moussa Sissoko hoping to take hold of that crucial middle third. Indeed, Tottenham’s best hope of success perhaps comes from winning the midfield exchange.

Pochettino must decide whether he goes for it out wide and attempts to exploit the space that will undoubtedly be left when Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson bomb forwards. Or does he sit in and try to defend against that threat with extra numbers and midfielders dropping deep?

Liverpool, for their part, only really know one way to play and will go full throttle from the off regardless. Expect their attacking trio to give Tottenham’s back four all they can handle.

Mohamed Salah vs Danny Rose and Sadio Mane against Kieran Trippier feels like a key factor and could be what settles it.

1-3, Liverpool lift a sixth European Cup.

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What time does it start?

The game will kick-off at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid at 8pm on Saturday night.

Where can I watch it?

The game will be broadcast on BT Sport 2 and BT Sport 4K UHD.

Subscribers can also stream the game online via the BT Sport website with the match also being streamed live on the BT Sport YouTube channel.

Team news

The fitness of Harry Kane is the headline selection headache for Pochettino with the England captain still recovering from an ankle injury picked up in the quarter-final first leg win over Manchester City.

The man himself says he’s “ready to go” but it’ll be down to his manager to make the final call. Dele Alli, Jan Vertonghen and Danny Rose should all be fit after working through knocks.

For the Reds, midfielder Naby Keita will miss the game with a muscle strain with Roberto Firmino the only touch and go member of the squad. 

Left-back Andrew Robertson, who felt a calf strain against Wolves, will be good to go.

Pochettino has a few selection headaches (Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

Predicted line-ups

Tottenham: Lloris, Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose, Sissoko, Wanyama, Alli, Eriksen, Son, Moura

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Mane, Salah, Firmino

Odds

Tottenham 10/3

Draw 5/2

Liverpool 10/11

(All odds via Betfair)



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