Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team takes to the field for its second successive Champions League final this Saturday against Spurs in Madrid.
The Reds lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in Kiev last May after a performance to forget by goalkeeper Loris Karius.
This season, we feared the dream was over for another year after losing 3-0 to Barcelona in the first leg of the semi-final in Spain. However, in what has been called Anfield’s greatest ever night, Liverpool overturned the deficit in the second leg, winning 4-0 and securing their route to the final.
Now, Klopp’s men are gearing up to face Premier League rivals Spurs in this year’s final and it looks like The Reds’ boss has almost the full squad to choose from when picking his starting eleven.
Naby Keita is the only player ruled out of Saturday’s game as his groin issue hasn’t cleared up in time.
In goals, Alisson Becker will feature again in what has been a fantastic debut season for Liverpool from the Brazilian number one.
The backline will be Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson so it’s business as usual in that regard.
As has been the case for much of the season, Klopp’s toughest decisions lie in the midfield area.
I think Fabinho will start as Liverpool’s defensive midfielder with Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum more than likely getting the nod for the two other central players in front of Fabinho. James Milner will play some part but I don’t think he will start.
Up front, Roberto Firmino hasn’t played since he was a second-half substitute in our 3-0 defeat to Barcelona on May 1st. Yet, I think Firmino will start on Saturday as, by all accounts, he appears to be back in full training.
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané will be the wide frontmen, meaning semi-final hero Divock Origi will be on the bench in Madrid.
Predicted Liverpool XI for the Champions League final Vs Spurs: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson(c), Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mané
For our full, in-depth match preview, please click here.
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