Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool: Four key battles in the Champions League final including Harry Kane vs Virgil van Dijk

Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool: Four key battles in the Champions League final including Harry Kane vs Virgil van Dijk
Tottenham and Liverpool will do battle for the right to call themselves champions of Europe on Saturday – a match you can listen to LIVE on talkSPORT.Both teams made it to the Champions League final in dramatic circumstances with Liverpool beating Barcelona 4-3 on aggregate, while Spurs completed a stunning second-half turnaround at Ajax.Getty6

Liverpool completed the biggest comeback in the competition’s history when they beat Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield

Getty6

Tottenham scored three goals in the second-half of their second leg at Ajax

It’s the first time two Premier League sides will face each other in the final of Europe’s premier club competition since 2008 when Manchester United beat Chelsea on penalties in Moscow.But where will the 2019 final be won and lost?talkSPORT.com have identified FOUR key battles between Tottenham and Liverpool players ahead of Saturday’s game.

Christian Eriksen vs Fabinho

It may not be the glamour duel in the final but you could make a very strong case that Christian Eriksen’s battle against Fabinho is the most important one on the pitch.Spurs fans will say Eriksen hasn’t been at his best this season but he’s their most creative player and is capable of that magic pass or shot that could win what is expected to be a tight game. But Fabinho will be out to stifle him.Getty Images - Getty6

Fabinho was in brilliant form in the semi-finals, particularly in the Anfield game

The Brazilian was tasked with marking Lionel Messi in the semis and did a pretty good job even though the Barca superstar scored two goals in the first leg at the Camp Nou.However, Messi was a shadow of the great player he is at Anfield and a lot of that was thanks to Fabinho’s tireless efforts. If you can stop Messi, then you shouldn’t fear anyone.

Kieran Trippier vs Sadio Mane

By his own admission, Kieran Trippier has struggled to replicate the splendid form he showed in the 2017/18 season and the 2018 World Cup and his latest setback saw him miss out on a place in England’s final Nations League squad.The right-back has made a few noticeable mistakes this season including an embarrassing own goal in a Premier League defeat at Chelsea in March.Meanwhile, Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has been at the top of his game this season, winning the Golden Boot alongside team-mate Mohamed Salah and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with 22 goals.Getty Images - Getty6

Mane and Trippier have had contrasting seasons

Spurs fans may worry about this duel and Mauricio Pochettino could even alter his line-up to make sure there aren’t too many one-on-ones between Trippier and Mane.

Heung-Min Son vs Trent Alexander-Arnold

But Liverpool may have to worry about the left hand side of their opponents too with Heung-Min Son likely to be up against Trent Alexander-Arnold.Alexander-Arnold is brilliant going forward and Spurs will have to keep an eye on his devastating crosses from the right. It was his quick thinking that saw him provide an enterprising assist for Divock Origi’s second-half strike which was the decisive goal in sending Liverpool through.However, the 20-year-old is not the finished article defensively and he can be got at by the South Korean who has had another great campaign at Spurs.Getty Images - Getty6

Son has scored crucial goals on Spurs’ route to the final

Son has scored 20 goals in all competitions this season and there were even calls for him to be nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award.

Harry Kane vs Virgil van Dijk

This is the big duel in the final as Harry Kane and Virgil van Dijk are of equally huge importance for their respective clubs.It looks as though Kane will be fit to start the final despite his ankle injury so he’ll probably do battle with PFA Player of the Year Van Dijk.Getty6

Van Dijk and Kane are likely to come up against each other when England face the Netherlands in the Nations League on June 6

Stats suggest the last player to successfully dribbled past centre-back Van Dijk in March 2018 but Kane is a constant threat.The England striker may latch himself on to Van Dijk’s centre-back partner, which is likely to be Joel Matip, in an attempt to get more joy but there will be occasions when Van Dijk deals with the Spurs forward so the phrase ‘clash of the titans’ will be appropriate in this case.

---

EXCLUSIVE: Van Dijk talks Jurgen Klopp, Harry Kane and THAT victory over Barcelona

---

---

The Ajax defender is wanted by a host of clubs including Barcelona and Manchester United. But it seems the Old Lady are leading the hunt with a bid on the table if reports from Tuttosport are to be believed. De Ligt told ESPN: "Where do I see myself? Well, obviously, the Premier League is a big competition, Spain also," he said.

---

The 2015/16 Premier League season is 25 games old, with more than 2000 minutes of football played, but who has the most miles in their legs? Which Premier League players have run the furthest
How many times every Premier League club have been on TV this

---

Torreira has also been likened to Arsenal great Patrick Vieira. However, it could have all been very different for the former Sampdoria star. Torreira revealed how he nearly joined some other club until the call from Emery convinced him to come to London.
Lucas Torreira | In my own words | Feature | News | Arsenal.com

---

THESE are the wild scenes inside Manchester United's dressing room after their historic Champions League comeback against Paris Saint-Germain. The Red Devils became the first side to overturn a 2
Man Utd players celebrate win vs PSG video - caughtoffside.com

---

PAUL INCE: I saw Jamie Carragher at Liverpool before he retired and couldn't believe how quiet the old place was. When the players came into the dressing room, they went to their lockers in silence.
Alex Ferguson savages former Manchester United captain Roy

---

/Arsenal star Ainsley Maitland-Niles has shared a picture of racist abuse he received on social media platform Instagram. The Gunners right-back was sent off in the first-half of the club's 3-0 defeat at Leicester on Sunday.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles - talkSPORT

---

Celtic news: Green Brigade 'ultras' group hit out over firecracker incident at St Mirren as police and Scottish Premiership side announce investigation Celtic's 'ultras' group the Green Brigade has accused the person who threw a firecracker on to the pitch at St Mirren of inflicting harm on their fellow fans. Police and the Scottish
Matthew Lindsay: Talk of normalising pyrotechnics at football

---

Kevin De Bruyne has revealed he thought Raheem Sterling was a 'd***head' before eventually getting to know the England forward at Manchester City. Sterling and De Bruyne both signed for the Etihad Stadium club in summer 2015, with the former's move to City a drawn out saga involving a contract dispute and the player sitting out of
Man City news: I thought Raheem Sterling would be a bit of a

---

Click to expand No surprise to see who is charged, well known on here.
Football fan to stand trial charged with punching three

---

Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doesn't want to leave club in summer. I don't want to [leave]," Solskjaer told a news conference at St James' Park. "It's such a great bunch of players
Manchester United news: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doesn't want to

---

MANCHESTER CITY are set to lose a key member of their staff to title rivals Liverpool. Lee Nobes, who has been at the club for more than 11 years, will leave his role as head physio to take up the
Manchester City's head physio Lee Nobes leaving to join

---

Newport vs Man City compared: The staggering differences between the FA Cup side's squad value, record signings and wage bill The League Two outfit host the Premier League champions in the firth
~ Newport vs Man City compared: The staggering differences

---

Premier League round-up: Leicester say goodbye to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and Newcastle seal back-to-back wins admin November 10, 2018 review Elsewhere, Huddersfield and West Ham drew 1-1, as did Southampton and Watford It was an emotional afternoon for Leicester City in their first home…
Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha's special horse bids to make owners

---