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5 reasons why Liverpool will win this year’s Champions League final

By Shane McFarland

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 07: Head coach Juergen Klopp of FC Liverpool and his players celebrate after the UEFA Champions League Semi Final second leg match between Liverpool and Barcelona at Anfield on May 7, 2019 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 07: Head coach Juergen Klopp of FC Liverpool and his players celebrate after the UEFA Champions League Semi Final second leg match between Liverpool and Barcelona at Anfield on May 7, 2019 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /
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Roberto Firmino of Liverpool FC during the UEFA Champions League quarter final match between FC Porto and Liverpool FC at Estadio do Dragao on April 17, 2019 in Porto, Portugal(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
Roberto Firmino of Liverpool FC during the UEFA Champions League quarter final match between FC Porto and Liverpool FC at Estadio do Dragao on April 17, 2019 in Porto, Portugal(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images) /

4. Roberto Firmino as an X-Factor in the UCL Final

It has been a bit of a mixed bag this season for Brazilian attacking midfielder/forward Roberto Firmino. While he has not duplicated his success of 10 goals and 8 assists across 13 games in last year’s Champions League run for Liverpool, mainly due to minor injuries, Firmino might ultimately prove to be the most valuable entity in the final third for the Reds come Saturday night in Madrid.

Yes, he can score in bunches and finish with the best of them in the Premier League, but his true value lies when he drops further back into the midfield in a pseudo-false 9 role, a “rover” if you will, in which he facilitates play between the lines, picking out passes for other players to get forward. It’s this type of unselfish play that makes Firmino such an integral part of the Liverpool attack. He’s not afraid to do some of the dirty work and often makes that dirty work look quite attractive.

Missing Liverpool’s last three matches against Newcastle, the second leg of the UCL draw with Barcelona and a Premier League finale with Wolves, Firmino by all accounts should be fresh and rested after dealing with a muscle issue.

When asked about Firmino’s status for the final at a media day earlier this week, manager Jürgen Klopp stated, “Bobby trained, was part of training last week and looked really good, everything was fine. Then we took him out again. He will be in training from tomorrow on again,” further adding, “All that we saw so far looked really good and he will be fine, I’m pretty sure.”

With all things trending upward, keep your eye on Firmino being a key factor in Liverpool’s clash with Spurs this weekend.

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