European Cup Final Written by Harry Smith
The zenith of football excellence arrives in two weeks time, with Tottenham Hotspurs (who everyone knows is my FAVORITE team in the world) set to take on Liverpool FC for the UEFA Champions League Final. This is a match that could easily go down in history as a European classic, with two young, exciting, well-coached teams looking to take a stab at European glory, something the Premier League hasn’t experienced since Chelsea’s title in 2012. While there are multiple cases to make for both teams in this final, I predict Liverpool will come out 2-1 victors over the North London club, with Sadio Mane finding the back of the net twice, to match Heung Min Son’s lone goal. When analyzing these two teams, the focal point that comes to mind with both is the lack of attentiveness in the defensive midfield. I believe Liverpool has a slight advantage in this area, with Jordan Henderson and Giorgino Wijnaldum appearing to be more comfortable on the ball than the likes of Sissoko and Wanyama. Christian Eriksen’s dip in form is likely to be an issue for Spurs as well; their key playmaker seemed to try his hardest to give Ajax a chance to stay in the second leg two weeks ago. Finally, the elephant in the room: will Harry Kane be match-ready for this final? A difficult situation for Spurs, as their talisman has been sidelined for months with an ankle injury. Kane says he is fit to play in the match, but whether his lack of match time catches up to him in the second half remains to be seen. Ultimately, I view Liverpool as the stronger team, even with Mohammed Salah’s questionable head injury, as they possess a stronger, more confident midfield, which will allow them to maintain possession and play long balls forward to the speedy Mane.