Liverpool Favored to Win Champions League Final Over English Rivals Tottenham

Posted on: May 31, 2019, 01:00h. 

Last updated on: May 31, 2019, 08:11h.

Casino.org Staff Writer Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming.

Liverpool comes into the Champions League final as a solid favorite over English rival Tottenham Hotspur, as the two prepare to meet for the title in Madrid on Saturday.

Champions League Liverpool Tottenham
The Champions League final features Liverpool and Tottenham in a battle of two English sides looking for a European title. (Image: Getty)

FanDuel Sportsbook has Liverpool as the -210 pick to lift the trophy this weekend, with Tottenham fetching +150 odds as the underdog.

Liverpool Looks for Champions League Redemption

There’s good reason for Liverpool to come in as the favorite. The Reds finished a close second in one of the best Premier League races of all time this season, and they’re headed to their second straight Champions League final. Last year, Tottenham suffered a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the championship match.

That was the latest in a long string of cup finals that haven’t gone the right way for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, dating back to his time as the head coach of Borussia Dortmund in Germany. But if he can guide Liverpool to a Champions League crown, it will mark the first time since 2005 that the Reds have won the European club championship.

Winning the Champions League would ensure that this remains a memorable season for Liverpool fans after they came up short in the Premier League. Klopp referenced comments by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola about the relative value of the two titles in a pre-match press conference.

“The Premier League is more important for Guardiola because he hasn’t been in the Champions League final for a while,” Klopp told reporters. “I say that the Champions League is more important because I can still win it and we have already lost the Premier League, as they have a better team and I think our season was better than theirs.”

Tottenham, meanwhile, is looking for its first ever Champions League title. The fourth-place finishers in the Premier League have become a force to be reckoned with both domestically and in European play, but have yet to cash in with a trophy, something that could change on Saturday.

Pochettino: Final More Important Than His Future

To do so, Spurs will have to find a way to beat Liverpool – a team they lost to twice in the EPL season, both times by 2-1 scores. Tottenham could be lifted by the return of star forward Harry Kane, who says he’s ready to play, though the ultimate decision will come down to manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Pochettino could potentially prove to be a distraction to his team heading into the match. The manager’s future with the club is in doubt, as he has been linked to Italian team Juventus, which no longer has a head coach after the departure of Massimiliano Allegri.

But Pochettino told reporters that no matter what his future holds, there is no chance that he’ll let that story overshadow what his team has the chance to accomplish this weekend.

“Today, no one is more important than the game ahead,” Pochettino told reporters. “I am not important. I am not more important than the Champions League and the possibility to win a trophy.”