Champions League: Jose Mourinho names two players to watch out for in the final
What's the story?
Two-time Champions League winning manager Jose Mourinho has given his two cents on the upcoming European final between Premier League outfits Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. When asked who he thinks are going to be the two individual players to watch out for in Madrid, the Portuguese tactician named Spurs' dynamic playmaker Christian Eriksen and star Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk.
In case you didn't know...
Mourinho first caught international attention by sensationally winning the Champions League with Portuguese giants FC Porto in 2003-04. The Portuguese, who later went on to manage Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United, again won the continental title in 2009-10 with the Nerazzurri.
The heart of the matter
Mourinho selected Spurs' Danish star Eriksen and Liverpool's Dutch centre-back Van Dijk as the two players to watch out for in the Champions League final.
"If I have to choose someone, also in view of his growth. Then I choose Van Dijk. At Tottenham, also because the club reached the final without Harry Kane, I would choose Eriksen.”
When asked who he thinks will be the favorites to lift the trophy, Mourinho remarked that it is difficult to choose since both teams beat near-impossible odds to reach the final.
"I always say that the team that had something extraordinary on their way to the final is the team that is a little further ahead.
"The curious thing about this final is that the two arrive in an absolutely incredible way. ‘They arrive there almost like titans, completely convinced that they are going to destroy their rival, it has everything to be a final with two teams completely convinced that ‘the trophy is mine."
What's next?
The Champions League final will be played at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on Saturday.