It won’t be long now- you can even start counting down the hours until Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur clash for the UEFA Champions League title in Madrid. In this all England final, we do know that one of the managers/clubs is guaranteed to see his/their trophy drought out come to an end.
Liverpool is the side that’s favored, but Spurs are a club that have defied the odds, projections and conventional wisdom all season long. Manager Mauricio Pochettino has really done an astounding job this season, and what an astounding ending it would be to finish as 2018-19 European champions.
He was handed a major boost this week with both striker Harry Kane and central defender Jan Vertonghen declaring themselves fit for this contest. We’re predicting Kane starts on the bench, but sees significant minutes while Vertonghen gets a first team nod.
Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction Champions League Final
Attack: Lucas Moura, Heung Min-Son, Christian Eriksen
Midfield: Victor Wanyama, Dele Alli, Moussa Sissoko
Defense: Danny Rose, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Kieran Trippier
Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris
Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur UEFA Champions League Final FYIs
Kickoff: Saturday, June 1, 8pm, Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid
Injury Report: Tottenham Hotspur Liverpool
Exclusive interview/match preview with LFC UCL legend Vladimir Smicer: part 1 part 2
Starting XI Predictions: Liverpool Tottenham Hotspur
Manager Press Conference Videos and Quotes: Mauricio Pochettino Jurgen Klopp
Odds via Betfair: Tottenham 10/3, Draw 5/2, Liverpool 10/11
Google Result Probability (after 90 minutes): Liverpool win 48% Draw 27% Tottenham Hotspur win 25%
Prediction: Liverpool 2, Tottenham Hotspur 1
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, also contributes to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.