Robbie Savage has said sorry to Liverpool fans when predicting the Champions League final as he boldly claimed the British player who will make a difference on Saturday is Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale.
The BT Sports pundit shared that while he would love the Reds to win the European Cup for a sixth time, he knew he was sharing an unpopular opinion by stating that he thought it might not happen.
Savage also stated that even if Jurgen Klopp’s side managed to lift the silverware on Saturday, they still would only be his third favourite team to win the Premier League next season.
“We’re going to have a British winner in Kiev this weekend — here’s why I reckon it will be Gareth Bale (sorry, Reds!),” said Savage in his column for the Daily Mirror.
“Forget about Jurgen Klopp losing his last five cup finals, and don’t fall for the nonsense about Real Madrid being a great team on its last legs.
“As much as I would dearly love to see Liverpool fly the flag and win the European Cup a sixth time, they must beware of the ‘enemy’ within.
“For all the British virtues of a side containing Jordan Henderson, Andrew Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, James Milner and Adam Lallana, the one Brit who might make the difference at the Champions League final could be wearing white, not red, in Kiev.
“Gareth Bale has already won the trophy three times in four years and finished the season in sensational form, even if Real trailed home 17 points behind La Liga winners Barcelona.”
“Even if they do win in Kiev, it won’t make Liverpool the best team in Europe.
“And I will still have them down as only third-favourite for the title next season, behind both Manchester clubs.”
OPINION
Savage sure did ensure he got the most out of apologising to Reds supporters before delivering his Champions League final verdict. The outspoken pundit clearly thinks Real Madrid will be celebrating come Saturday night just because of how highly he rates Bale. The Madrid winger is an overshadowed member of his team, despite scoring 19 goals in 38 outings this season, and he could be a game changer. However it’s a big if, as the Welsh wizard needs to be firing on all cylinders to see his side lift the cup. Bale has tended to deliver on the biggest stages but that doesn’t guarantee lighting will strike again for the 28-year-old as who knows whether the occasion will actually get to him. There’s a lot said about his future in Spain and that has to be somewhere in the back of his mind, this could cause him to be distracted. Then again it could also see him throw everything he has at the Reds to ensure he has a future at the Spanish giants. However while Savage thinks that Saturday’s game can be influenced by one man, that necessarily isn’t the case as talents you don’t normally expect to be match winners turn into them. One thing is for certain, Reds supporters won’t like Savage thoughts ahead of Saturday’s game.
