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Tottenham Hotspur will play Liverpool in the Champions League final.
Spurs progressed to the showpiece on Wednesday night, producing a miraculous comeback against Ajax in Amsterdam.
Falling 3-0 behind on aggregate, a Lucas Moura hat-trick gave the club a scarcely believable result; the Brazilian’s final goal came in injury time, sending fans into something approaching delirium.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino, so emotional at the final whistle, needs to make some difficult decisions.
He will surely want to show some loyalty to the players who won the semi-final but Harry Kane missed both legs, so too did Harry Winks. Jan Vertonghen left Holland in a protective boot.
Football FanCast takes a look at Plan A and Plan B for Pochettino as he looks to take Spurs to their first trophy since 2008.
Plan A – Kane back, a rested star
This feels astonishingly harsh on Lucas Moura but the logic is this: he’d be a superb substitute late on.
Hugo Lloris has to play in goal and, despite Kieran Trippier’s flaws, he is a better option than Serge Aurier at right-back. This line-up assumes that Vertonghen will be fit and, if he is, he will partner Toby Alderweireld. Playing four at the back makes sense, with Danny Rose at left-back.
If Harry Winks is fit, he is more mobile and tenacious than both Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama and pairing him with Moussa Sissoko is Spurs’ first-choice midfield.
Dele Alli appears to be back to something approaching his best, while Christian Eriksen is a shoo-in to play. Starting Son Heung-Min on the left flank will surely cause Liverpool problems. No explanation needs to be given for Kane’s inclusion.
Plan B – Kane still out, Vertonghen & Winks watching on
The formation will surely stay the same but this XI assumes that Vertonghen, Kane and Winks are all unfit.
Davinson Sanchez has a thigh injury currently and it is unthinkable to imagine both the Colombian and Vertonghen being out. If they are, expect Juan Foyth to play in the biggest game of his career.
If Winks is absent, Wanyama is the obvious man to come in alongside Sissoko. He struggles to be as mobile as his team-mates on the pitch but he has history against Liverpool – he scored a stunning long-range goal at Anfield last season – and is an assiduous tackler.
Without Kane, Pochettino will surely play Son up front, with Lucas back in the team and on the right flank. There is a slight shift, too, between Eriksen and Alli, with the Denmark international moved to the flank.
If this is the XI, expect a cheer to be roused from the Liverpool dressing room.
