Underrated Players To Watch Out For In The Champions League Final!

The UEFA Champions League Final is now looming closer than ever. Anticipation levels for the flagship event in Kiev are at an all time high, as they should be! Fans from across the world are busy analyzing possible tactics, discussing strengths and weaknesses and speculating- there is a buzz in the air.

While the spotlight during this time is sure to be on superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah, it should not be forgotten that in many instances, legendary finals were decided by the performances of unexpected dark horse players, who bided their time and took the world by storm on the biggest stage.

Here, we take a look at some of the underrated players who could use their talents and very well play a decisive role in the outcome of the game.

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#3 Andrew Roberston (Liverpool Left Back)

While still young, Andrew Robertson can be one of the surprise packages in the final.

Virgil Van Dijk has been on the spotlight for Liverpool at the defensive end this season. With him acting as an anchor at the heart of defense, Liverpool have come along way and have fixed the holes in their erstwhile leaking defense.

However, this should not take away from Andrew Robertson's contributions. While van Dijk enjoys the lion's share of media attention, Robertson has been operating very effectively on the quiet for Liverpool. He has paid back every single penny of the €8 million that Liverpool paid for his services at the start of the season with his solid performances.

Since he is still young at 24, he will undoubtedly turn out to be a solid investment for Liverpool in the long run. While Robertson started below Alberto Moreno in the pecking order, he established himself as first choice when given the chance to play after Moreno suffered an injury- since then, there has been no looking back.

Due to Robertson's presence, opponents are now unable to exploit the flank like they could when Moreno played. Thus, Madrid full backs Marcelo, Lucas Vasquez or Dani Carvajal will have their task cut out for them against the young Scot. Robertson thus shares the defensive workload with Van Dijk now, allowing him more freedom to express himself fully in central defense- elevating the level of the entire defense in the process. He has recorded 1 last man tackle, preventing a one on one goalscoring situation, and has blocked three shots by opposition offenses on goal.

However, Robertson is far from just defense, contributing regularly on the offense as well. In 22 appearances, he has recorded 5 assist, creating 8 "Big Chances" apart from that. In comparison, Marcelo, the Real Madrid attacking Left Back who is regarded as on of the best in the business, has recorded the same number of assists in 3 more appearances. Thus, Robertson is providing defensive stability as well as potency in the attack- establishing himself as a two-way threat in the process.

Come final day, while the Madrid defense focuses on the deadly trio of Mane, Salah and Firmino, one lethal assist from Robertson may well be enough to write history.

#2 Georgino Wijnaldum (Liverpool Midfielder)

Can Wijnaldum be the dark horse to lead Liverpool over the line?

Like the other players on this list, Wijnaldum too, operates without the media attention enjoyed by team-mates such as Sadio Mane amnd fellow midfielder Adam Lallana. While Lallana has all it takes to make the list, he is coming off a lengthy injury absence and to discuss the potential impact that he can have would be mere speculation.

Wijnaldum, meanwhile, provides a solid option to Liverpool in providing depth and potency to an already burgeoning Liverpool attack. Perhaps the greatest measure of the impact that he can have is illustrated by his debut for Liverpool F.C. In 80 minutes of game time, Wijnaldum hit the ground running and laid on an assist for Adam Lallana. At a time when Liverpool counted on Philippe Coutinho among their ranks, when none of the fearsome front could deliver in front of goal, Wijnaldum showed again that he could be a game-changer by claiming the winning goal against Manchester City.

Even in the final, despite Salah being in monstrous form, Wijnaldum can always be counted on to make an impact in the game by laying and assist or scoring directly. His contributions should not be measured solely by his goals though. Georgino Wijnaldum is a big reason behind the success of Liverpool's attack because of his pressing abilities. His tireless pursuit off the ball frees up space and gives Firmino the option to express himself freely in central attack. In fact, suppressing Wijnaldum may actually be key for Real in tiring Firmino out and engaging him in non-offensive duties.

Wijnaldum is also a very versatile player in midfield. He can play centrally as well as in the far out positions. This makes him a threat that Madrid have to focus on. Man marking him is not an option because he can switch positions mid game and operate just as well from a wing position as he can centrally. Moreover, he can be used as an additional source of crosses into the box against Real in the inevitable eventuality that Mane/Salah are heavilty guarded.

The threats posed by Wijnaldum are many, however, when compared to the raw contributions of Mane, Firmino and Salah, he take antecedence. Liverpool would be wise to capitalize on this underrated attacking option and come final day, could well use the many talents of Georgino Wijnaldum to catch Real Madrid off-guard.

#1 Marco Asensio (Real Madrid Attacking Midfielder)

Asensio will be looking to make the leap from "promising" to "Established threat" in the final

When Real Madrid are playing, the opponents focus their defensive efforts on the fearsome BBC trio, not to mention contributions from the Brazilian duo of Casemiro and Marcelo. However, Asensio's impact as a super-sub and rising go to option cannot be disregarded. The youngster has always made the most of the opportunities afforded to him at Madrid. He has been patient and has worked hard on his game- and the results are beginning to show. Whenever called onto duty as a substitute, he never fails to impress, breathing fresh air into the attack.

He is increasingly being used as a super sub by Zinedine Zidane. When the Madrid attack is faltering, Asensio, more often than not, if utilized as a welcome introduction. He has remarkable stamina and his swift pace comes in handy when considerable time has elapsed in the match. At 60 minutes on the day of the final, if Zinedine Zidane needs a substitute who can breach a resolute Liverpool defense spearheaded by Virgil Van Dijk, Asensio is his man. When time has elapsed, bringing on Asensio makes sense because he can exploit the tiredness of the opposition and use his pace to either score or create assists from team-mates.

Asensio's style of play will also compliment Ronaldo's. As Asensio plays in attacking midfield, he can use his pace to either initiate a breach of the Liverpool defense or draw defenders onto himself before passing the ball to Ronaldo. As Asensio draws the extra defenders, Ronaldo gets space and a precise pass- all that he ever asks for. Being one of the deadliest finishers in the game, Ronaldo, and the entire Madrid attack, will benefit from Asensio's playing style.

Moreover, despite being young, Asensio shows great maturity for his age and can maintain his nerves in crunch time- as was evident in Madrid's second round game against Bayern in the Semi-Finals. In the game, Asensio faced a fearsome Bayern defense delivered a crucial goal for the Los Blancos, coming in clutch when Ronaldo and Benzema were misfiring. After the match, Zidane himself said, "Marco Asensio came on and made the difference". Bayern has accounted for handling Ronaldo, assigning dedicated markers to him for the entirety of the game, but paid the price for not factoring in the value that Asensio adds to the setup as a substitute. Liverpool would be imprudent to do the same.

Lately, Asensio is also being used as a starter for Zidane instead of just a power-sub. He has truly flourished in the role- showing poise, composure and promise when deployed in attack. His versatility was on display in the league when he scored screaming volleys from outside the box in consecutive weeks- one of which came against the force that is the Barcelona defense in the Supercoppa. Should Liverpool prove to be plucky in defense, Asensio is a Madrid's best option for both long ball creation and long range efforts. He is truly the catalyst who can, in an instant contribute and change the outcome of the game.

In the end, whether he is used as a starter or utilized as a power substitute, come final day, as prepared as Liverpool may be to face BBC, they would not want to be caught unaware by the force that is Marco Asensio.