Liverpool Look To Put A Bow On A Miraculous Champions League Run

Destiny. That’s got to be what it is. It is destiny that Liverpool come away with a Champions League trophy. What else could explain the trials they’ve had to face? 

• The heartbreak of losing in last year’s final. 
• The anguish of compiling one of the greatest records in Premier League, in which they only lost one game all season, and yet still finished 2^nd. 
• The hopelessness and then triumph of being down to Barcelona, and then storming back in one of the most stunning halves of football in ages. 

All this can’t end in a loss. Could it? For Tottenham, they surely hope it can.

It isn’t as if Spurs have been without their own issues. If Liverpool is always the bridesmaid and never the bride, Tottenham is, at best, the last chosen to be in the wedding party. In the “Big Six” of the EPL, Tottenham is the one you always forget. They, like Liverpool, have never won a Premier League title, but their hardware drought is even longer than the Reds, having last won an FA Cup back in 1991, and a Carabao Cup in 2008. A Champions League win, especially being able to say they won it before Manchester City, would help Tottenham rise above any belief that they were in the second tier of EPL powerhouses, and be a nice little piece of hardware they could show off in their shiny new stadium.

So, what do we look for in tomorrow’s game, and how will it affect any betting opportunities? Let’s take a look.

• The long break: It’s been three weeks since the last EPL game, which both teams are probably OK with seeing as how the season ended for each. But, more importantly, it’s been even longer between each team’s CL semi-final triumphs. All the energy and momentum from those remarkable games has passed into the club’s lore, but can’t be counted on to carry them into the final. Liverpool especially would have loved to keep playing. Tottenham, on the other hand welcomed the break, because…
• The health of Harry Kane: The three week break has been a godsend for the Spurs, as it has allowed even more time for their captain and leader to get back into shape following his ankle injury against Manchester City  in early April. There is still a question whether he’ll be in match-shape, or if he’d end up being a drag on a team that found a way to get to the Final without him. But 80% Harry Kane is still pretty good.
• Klopp vs Pochettino: Two of the game’s best managers go head to head yet again this season (Liverpool won both matches this season, both ending 2-1, although the last match was decided by a brutal own-goal by Toby Alderweireld in the 90^thminute) and each approaches the game in their own unique manner. Liverpool is clearly the superior team in terms of talent, and Klopp has done a masterful job in making sure it all works together. A lesser manager would have lost control of all the egos but Klopp has gotten everyone to buy into his system and the results have been outstanding. Pochettino, on the other hand, has been forced to change tactics on the fly, shuffling lineups and strategy to fit whatever players were fit. The semifinal win against Ajax was his latest masterpiece in engineering, completely changing how they played from one leg to the next and finding a way to win in Amsterdam. 
• The Stars (Liverpool):For Liverpool,Mo Salah and Sadio Mane are two of the best players in the world, and they have the credentials to prove it, sharing the Golden Boot trophy with Arsenal’s Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang. The Reds’ Virgil van Dijk is not only a world-class defender, but seems to understand the game better than anyone else on the pitch, as evidenced by his directing of the free kick set-play that resulted in the late Liverpool goal and win against Newcastle in April. 
• The Stars (Tottenham): For Newcastle, their best players don’t shine as bright (they placed no players on the PFA Team of the Year to Liverpool’s 4) but they play their roles as needed. While Kane was sidelined with his injury, wingers Son Heung-Min(12 goals) and Lucas Moura (8 goals), and Christian Eriksen (8 goals) filled in more than adequately, while the celebrated but recently underwhelming Dele Alli and Moussa Sissoko contributed in their own ways.

So what should we expect? Judging from both teams semifinal matches, expect the unexpected.

Liverpool is the favorite to take home the trophy at -200 to Tottenhams’s +160. But Reds fans don’t despair. There are still opportunities to take the Reds that could still bring home some winnings. 

• Bet Building : There are plenty of different parlays you can craft to win big. For example, a bet that has Liverpool winning, both teams scoring, and Spurs Lucus Moura finding the back of the net pays at +1050.
• Correct Score: Sensible score outcomes can pay well, with a Liverpool 2-0 win at +850, and a 3-1 Reds win at +1200.
• Think it might be a close game? Picking Liverpool to win in extra time is at +800.

There are over 100 bets to be played on this game, from cards to stats to props, so go find the right bet for you and enjoy what is sure to be an amazing Champions League Final.