Champions League 2018/2019 Final Preview
Champions League 2018/2019 Final Preview

A preview of the Champions League final on June 1st, which will be an all-English affair between Liverpool and underdogs Tottenham Hotspur.
An all English Champions League Final will see Liverpool play Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday June 1st at the Wanda Metropolitan Stadium in Madrid.
Both teams have reached thus stage after pulling off remarkable comebacks in their semi-finals. Liverpool we're 3 - 0 down from their first leg tie with Barcelona in Spain. Going into the reverse fixture at Anfield without two of their recognised forward line in the form of African footballer of the year Mo Salah and Brazilian Roberto Firmino, they scored four unanswered goals, with a brace each from Divock Origi and Gini Wijnaldum.
Tottenham's performance, if anything was the more extraordinary. They lost the first leg at home to Ajax by a single goal, and then were 2 - 0 down at half-time in the second leg in Amsterdam. However, make-shift striker Lucas Moura scored a second half hat-trick with the third coming seven minutes into injury time, to clinch the tie on away goals.
For Liverpool appearing in a Champions League final is nothing new – this will be their ninth final, having won the Cup five times and finished runners-up on three previous occasions, including last year when they were beaten by Real Madrid 3 – 1 in Kiev. For Tottenham though this will be a wholly new experience.
Liverpool come into the match having suffered the disappointment of being pipped to the Premier League title by Manchester City by a single point. League leaders for much of the season, they only lost a single game, away to City at the end of December. However, a run of draws in February, including in the Merseyside derby with neighbours Everton, proved to be the difference, as City embarked on a winning run that kept their noses in front at the final reckoning.
Tottenham too, have had an eventful season, which saw them clinch a final League position of fourth – whatever happens in Madrid, they will be playing in the Champions League again next year. There form held up through the season, despite having to use Wembley as a temporary home for much of the campaign, due to delays in completing their new Tottenham Stadium. They only took possession of the new ground in April.
In terms of recent form between the two sides, the pair met twice in the League in the season that has just finished, with Liverpool winning 2 -1 on both occasions, home and away. The first meeting came last September back at Wembley, with Liverpool dominating the game, until Spurs scored a late consolation. It was much the same story at Anfield in March, but one factor that may benefit Tottenham is they hope to have top scorerand England captain Harry Kane back in time for the final, after suffering ankle ligament damage which caused him to miss the two last months of the season, including the Champions League run-in.
Liverpool have their own injury doubts over both Firmino and Salah, but both are expected to be fit for the final, as well as full-back Andy Robertson who limped off against Barcelona.
According to the bookmakers, Liverpool are odds-on to win the match at 1.55, whilst Tottenham are priced at 2.74. However, this year’s Champions League has been full of turn-ups so a Spurs win should not be discounted.
*Odds are correct at the publish date.