The Champions League Final: A Preview | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post

The Champions League Final: A Preview

In case you missed the biggest sporting event in the world.

18
The Champions League Final: A Preview

It's about that time again. The annual conclusion of the UEFA Champions League, the biggest annual competition in the world is in our midst. On June 1st, Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur will duke it out in the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid for the title of Europe's best football club. For those unaware, both teams had a grueling journey to the finals, with exciting second rounds in the semi-finals securing the victories for both. But, each team has their strengths and weaknesses.

Tottenham has a lot of variety to their squad, which makes them a different kind of opponent. Spurs, even with their injuries, have shown great variety, lining up with a three-man defense or a four-man defense and playing the ball down the center or out to the flanks. Even when their midfield has had to tuck in a bit, they have had the creative ability via their center backs as well.

Though their defense has looked a tad less sturdy due to injuries, conceding far more shots this year, their defense has been great as usual, with Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen looking excellent consistently. Furthermore, their offense has still managed to look strong, with excellent long-range finishers in Heung-min Son, Christen Eriksen and Harry Kane featured heavily.

Harry Kane is the most prominent of these, given that he still managed 17 goals in 27 games. Of course, He is the big question mark, given his injury issues this season, with multiple ankle injuries.

Regardless, the Spurs have big players for the big occasion, with players like Lucas Moura, who gloriously scored a second-half hat trick to snatch the finals away from Ajax. The question is how fit is Kane, and how they will line up as a result of the fitness issues they've dealt with.

Liverpool has an electric front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, any of their front three can be a dangerous goal threat on the most resolute of defenses. Mane and Salah both finished with 22 goals in the league, tied for the most in the league, while Roberto Firmino has still managed 16 goals across all competitions this year before injuries.

The team is also talented on multiple fronts now. No longer porous in the defense, strengthened by the likes of Virgil Van Dijk, the PFA Player of the Year, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, also known as "TAA." Their center back pairing is strong, but their fullback pairing offers a phenomenal threat going forward as well: Robertson has 13 assists across all competitions and TAA has 15. That unique threat will be a challenge for Spurs's defense.

The midfield is probably the biggest selection headache for Liverpool. With Naby Keita out, who all will Klopp choose for this side? Will it be the usual pair of James Milner and Wijnaldum, who scored a brace against Barcelona alongside Fabinho, or Jordan Henderson? Which type of midfield will be deployed against Spurs? That is his biggest question.

Liverpool also has its impactful players. One of its biggest, Divock Origi, also scored a brace during that game at Anfield.

This match should be exciting, with two younger managers known for their ingenuity squaring off against one another in a great match. Who will win? No one knows for sure. I'm just ready for a thrilling match.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Lifestyle

The Great Christmas Movie Debate

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

1052
The Great Christmas Movie Debate
Mental Floss

One staple of the Christmas season is sitting around the television watching a Christmas movie with family and friends. But of the seemingly hundreds of movies, which one is the star on the tree? Some share stories of Santa to children ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), others want to spread the Christmas joy to adults ("It's a Wonderful Life"), and a select few are made to get laughs ("Elf"). All good movies, but merely ornaments on the Christmas tree of the best movies. What tops the tree is a movie that bridges the gap between these three movies, and makes it a great watch for anyone who chooses to watch it. Enter the timeless Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story." Created in 1983, this movie holds the tradition of capturing both young and old eyes for 24 straight hours on its Christmas Day marathon. It gets the most coverage out of all holiday movies, but the sheer amount of times it's on television does not make it the greatest. Why is it,
then? A Christmas Story does not try to tell the tale of a Christmas miracle or use Christmas magic to move the story. What it does do though is tell the real story of Christmas. It is relatable and brings out the unmatched excitement of children on Christmas in everyone who watches. Every one becomes a child again when they watch "A Christmas Story."

Keep Reading...Show less
student thinking about finals in library
StableDiffusion

As this semester wraps up, students can’t help but be stressed about finals. After all, our GPAs depends on these grades! What student isn’t worrying about their finals right now? It’s “goodbye social life, hello library” time from now until the end of finals week.

1. Finals are weeks away, I’m sure I’ll be ready for them when they come.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas tree
Librarian Lavender

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is one of my personal favorite holidays because of the Christmas traditions my family upholds generation after generation. After talking to a few of my friends at college, I realized that a lot of them don't really have "Christmas traditions" in their family, and I want to help change that. Here's a list of Christmas traditions that my family does, and anyone can incorporate into their family as well!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Phases Of Finals

May the odds be ever in your favor.

2166
Does anybody know how to study
Gurl.com

It’s here; that time of year when college students turn into preschoolers again. We cry for our mothers, eat everything in sight, and whine when we don’t get our way. It’s finals, the dreaded time of the semester when we all realize we should have been paying attention in class instead of literally doing anything else but that. Everyone has to take them, and yes, unfortunately, they are inevitable. But just because they are here and inevitable does not mean they’re peaches and cream and full of rainbows. Surviving them is a must, and the following five phases are a reality for all majors from business to art, nursing to history.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

How To Prepare For The Library: Finals Edition

10 ways to prepare for finals week—beginning with getting to the library.

3396
How To Prepare For The Library: Finals Edition
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

It’s that time of year again when college students live at the library all week, cramming for tests that they should have started studying for last month. Preparing to spend all day at the library takes much consideration and planning. Use these tips to help get you through the week while spending an excessive amount of time in a building that no one wants to be in.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments