5 sets of players who could decide the Champions League final
This will be the first time since 2013 when a Spanish has side failed to make it to the final of the Champions League. Liverpool and Tottenham take their place as this year's finalists. Yet, both the Champions League finalists faced crushing defeats in the first leg of their semi-finals.
The Reds were left without answers against a brilliant Leo Messi at the Camp Nou, whereas Tottenham were outclassed at home by Ajax's young guns. But Liverpool with the help of the Anfield support and their gegenpressing humiliated Barcelona 4-0 while a Lucas Moura inspired Tottenham defeated Ajax in what was one of the best European games of the season.
This meant that the fans are set to witness the first all-English Champions League final since 2008 when Manchester United defeated Chelsea in the penalty shootouts. Liverpool will start as the favourites but league form goes out of the window in a game of such magnitude.
Hence, we take a look at 5 groups of players who could decide the outcome of the Champions League final.
#5 The goalkeepers
When Liverpool lost last year's Champions League final to Real Madrid, one player was to bear the majority of the blame and that was their keeper Loris Karius. Liverpool immediately decided to shell out €70 million and signed Roma keeper Alisson Becker.
By the end of the season, he had won the Premier League's golden glove and was rated as one of the best keepers in England. On the other hand, Hugo Lloris, Tottenham's number one and captain came back from leading his national side to a World Cup win and was very much instrumental in Tottenham's bid to finish in the top 4 for the fourth year running.
Both the keepers played an important role in their teams run to the European final as well. Alisson made 3-4 important saves in the first half against Barcelona at Anfield, without whom the tie might have been over even before the end of the first half while Lloris made crucial saves against Tadic and Neres in the second half of the away leg against Ajax to ensure Tottenham remained in the tie till the dying stages of the game.
Despite their perfomances, both goalkeepers have certain weaknesses. Hugo Lloris is prone to lapses in concentration and has cost his team points throughout the different stages of the campaign while Alisson sometimes tends to overplay with the ball at his feet.
Well, no keeper in the world is perfect, and if any of the finalists wish to win the trophy, they will need their keepers to be in the form of their lives.