The stage is set for the 2019 Champions League final, with Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur producing dramatic comebacks to book their place at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday 1 June.
It seemed heavily likely that it would be Barcelona meeting Ajax for the chance to win the European Cup after the semi-final first leg encounters, especially in the case of Barca who beat Liverpool by a 3-0 scoreline at the Nou Camp.
However, Jurgen Klopp’s side rallied at Anfield to score four unanswered goals and Liverpool are trading at odds of around 1/2 to lift the European Cup for a sixth time in their history, with the supporters sure to feel as though their name is on the trophy after that remarkable night against Barcelona.
Klopp is sure to have Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino back in the squad after both attacking players missed the second leg encounter against Barca, while Andy Robertson should also be back in the fold and that essentially gives the Liverpool manager the full compliment of players for the final.
Spurs will be sweating over the fitness of Harry Kane, who is notoriously a quick healer and appears to be recovering well from an ankle injury that kept the Tottenham captain out of the Champions League double headers against Manchester City and Ajax.
Lucas Moura will hope that he gets the chance to start the match, with Son Heung-Min, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli virtually locks to start the game, while Moussa Sissoko has quickly become one of the most influential players in the Tottenham team.
Spurs are a 6/4 chance to win the European Cup for the first time in their history, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side having recently gone to Anfield and acquitted themselves very well despite losing the match by a 2-1 scoreline. Sissoko had a brilliant opportunity to score a potential winner for his team before the visitors conceded a late winner.
In some ways, Tottenham will head to Madrid not feeling the weight of expectation compared to their opponents, especially as Liverpool will be desperate to avoid a potless season considering how close they pushed Manchester City in the Premier League title race before falling short.
For those wanting to back Liverpool to win the match in normal time, the Reds are trading at evens and some will feel as though Salah and Firmino will add extra attacking quality to a team who managed to score four goals without them.
The big quandary for Klopp will be whether to reinstate Gini Wijnaldum into the midfield department considering that the Dutchman was on the bench until half-time against Barcelona, with Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and James Milner all vying for contention.
Trent Alexander-Arnold strangely missed the clash at the Nou Camp but the 20-year-old was arguably the best Liverpool player in the second leg and will offer plenty of menace from a wide right position, while Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip are likely to make life a lot tougher for Spurs than Ajax were able to.
Nevertheless, it’s always a strange occasion where two teams from the same country meet in a European competition and that’s accentuated by the fact that this is the Champions League final and the biggest match of these players’ careers.
Spurs are trading at around 3/1 to win the match in ninety minutes and we shouldn’t forget that the London side have dumped out Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Ajax en route to the final. Technically speaking, they have also been in the same half of the competition as Real Madrid and Juventus.
Both teams are likely to be roving forward in search of goals from kick-off and that could lead to a high-scoring classic in Madrid, with the supporters treated to an exciting encounter and BTTS is trading at around 7/10.