The 2020/21 UEFA Champions League final is unlikely to be an enjoyable one for anybody associated with Liverpool.
Manchester City take on Chelsea in Porto in an all-English affair.
After Manchester United and Everton, the two finalists are Liverpool’s biggest rivals.
The rivalry with Chelsea really took off in the mid-2000s, when Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez were in charge of their respective clubs. The Reds and the Blues seemed to play each other in huge Champions League games every single year.
The feud with Manchester City is even newer. It has only become a big thing in the last few years when Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola’s sides began competing for titles.
So neither Chelsea nor City are exactly loved on Merseyside.
And one of them will soon be crowned champions of Europe.
No good Champions League final result for Liverpool
There is a split in the Liverpool fanbase. Some want City to win the Champions League, others want Chelsea.
Manchester City are a phenomenal team. They are well in the process of cementing a legacy that will last forever in English football.
The one thing that the likes of Liverpool have over them is that City have never won a European Cup. Until they do that, they cannot be a truly elite side.
If they win tonight’s game, that argument goes out the window. Of course, they will have a lot of catching up to do before they reach Liverpool’s level of European pedigree.
Nevertheless, they will have that first one out of the way and will most certainly build on it. They will be a better club because of it.
With Chelsea, they already have a Champions League crown. So them winning does not change their historical standing all that much.
The issue with Chelsea winning the Champions League is that they will likely push on and reach Liverpool and City’s current level.
They already have a great manager and lots of cash to spend. But any player on earth would consider joining the Champions League winners.
Liverpool have first-hand experience of building on a Champions League win to become an elite side.
No matter what, tonight’s Champions League final will have a bad result for Liverpool and the rest of the Premier League.