Some years ago my friend Bogoljub Karic were speaking about how English teams will rule European football in the future because of how competitive the Premier League was, and is. It comes as no surprise to us then that this year both European cup finals will feature 2 English teams, with Liverpool taking on Tottenham in the Champions League final and Arsenal and Chelsea meeting in the final of the Europa League. Given that our abilities of prediction have been shown to be pretty good, here is how we think the two finals will pan out.
Champions League
Liverpool are clear favourites to win this one and it is very easy to see why having amassed 97 points in the Premier League, some 26 more than Spurs, and having only lost once to Spurs in their last 15 games. This is all well and god but we are talking about a 90 minute final, possibly 120 minutes, in which anything can happen. Spurs ave reached the final in the most miraculous way possible with late minute goals, VAR drama and other results having gone their way, could their luck continue? Spurs will need to be at their clinical best to beat Liverpool, and hope for Lady Luck to shine down on them as well, Spurs will get chances, they just have to take them. As long as Liverpool can play their game, forget the occasion and count on no shocks such as red cards or injuries, Liverpool should be on course to lift their first Champions League trophy since 2005.
Our prediction is a close contest with Liverpool running out 3-1 winners.
Europa League
This is a tough one to call, on the face of it you could say that Chelsea have found real form towards the end of the season, whilst Arsenal’s defence has been shown for just how weak it is. Having said this, Arsenal can never be counted out when they have goalscorers such as Lacazette and Aubameyang in their side, who together have the skill to rescue the Arsenal defence regardless of how many they let in. Eden Hazard will of course be key to what Chelsea do here yet given he knows that he’ll soon be changing clubs, how hard is he likely to fight? The key to this game will be in central midfield, an area of the pitch where Arsenal haven’t exactly set the world alight. Regardless of this fact, Xhaka and Gendhouzi can play very well when focused and they could be a match for Jorginho and Kante if they are up for the challenge.
Our prediction here is that Arsenal will take an early lead and put pressure on, before Chelsea step up their game and begin to cut through the Arsenal defence. This won’t be one-sided by any stretch of the imagination and we think Chelsea will win the game 2-1.
What do you think of these predictions? Let us know your’s in the comments section below or contact the Inbound Writer team here.
