MADRID -- The only thing left to settle for the European club season before the summer is the Champions League, and much like the Europa League final, it's an all-English affair in Madrid as Liverpool take on Tottenham. Who will begin their holidays with a trophy and who will spend the offseason wondering what could have been?

Here is what you need to know ahead of Saturday's game, which kicks off at 3 p.m. ET (8 p.m. BST) and is set to be played in hot temperatures.

- Reddy: Alexander-Arnold's road from dreamer to record breaker
- Ogden: Can Tottenham hang on to Pochettino after the final?
- Okwonga: Liverpool, Spurs' secret to success? Systems over stars

BACKSTORY: Liverpool arrive with the greater pedigree. They've won the European Cup five times; only Milan and Real Madrid have more. They reached the final only last season, when they were beaten by Real Madrid in Kiev, Ukraine, and they finished this season a single point off the pace in the Premier League behind Manchester City.

Contrast this with Tottenham. Only Michel Vorm, their third-choice goalkeeper, was even born the most recent time they were in a European final of any kind: the 1984 UEFA Cup final. That was also the most recent time they went beyond the quarterfinals in Europe. Spurs finished fourth in the Premier League and lost 2-1 both times they faced Liverpool this season, though the second clash, at Anfield, was a particularly tight, hard-fought affair that could have gone either way.

CARDIAC COMEBACKS, LIVERPOOL EDITION: If it wasn't for a dramatic victory over Napoli in their final group-stage game in December -- which saw them advance thanks to a tiebreaker -- Liverpool's Champions League quest would have ended before the knockout rounds. Plus, they pulled off the most dramatic of turnarounds at Anfield in the semifinal against Barcelona, winning 4-0 to wipe out a 3-0 first leg defeat.

CARDIAC COMEBACKS, TOTTENHAM EDITION: Tottenham were also headed out of the competition in December until Lucas Moura's goal, with five minutes to go away to Barcelona at the Camp Nou, in the final group game. Even then they only advanced thanks to the tiebreaker as well. Moura, of course, would prove decisive again in the semifinal second-leg comeback against Ajax, notching a hat trick including that buzzer-beater of a winner in injury time. Oh, and in the quarterfinal against heavily favored Manchester City, a dramatic Fernando Llorente deflected goal with minutes to go saw Spurs advance in a seesaw match.

NO SILVERWARE, NO PROBLEM: Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino famously said that trophies "build egos" but league finishes and year-on-year improvement build clubs. While Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp hasn't quite gone that far, he too is living proof that a manager's popularity rests on far more than delivering silverware. Both are immensely loved by their fan bases, yet Pochettino has never won a trophy in his managerial career and Klopp's last major title was in 2012, when he led Borussia Dortmund to the Bundesliga title. His record in finals isn't great, either, having lost six of seven.

Obviously, that will change for one of these two men Saturday ...

TACTICAL CONTRAST: Both managers believe in pressing, directness, high lines and speedy forwards, but Pochettino has been, often by necessity, the more pragmatic and shape-shifting of the two. Where Liverpool's lineup has been relatively settled for much of the season, Tottenham have been hammered by injuries at various stages. As a result, Pochettino has played a variety of lineups and schemes, and going into this game, it's hard to predict how Tottenham will take the field.

WORST-CASE SCENARIO FOLLOWING A DEFEAT, LIVERPOOL: They will be dealt a crushing psychological blow and folks start to murmur that, for all his touchy-feely, cult-of-personality schtick, maybe Klopp really does have issues in getting a team over the line. To miss out on the Premier League by one point and then to fail in Madrid after losing in last season's Champions League final, ending another season empty-handed ... it's a grim thought the players and fans will not want to entertain.

WORST-CASE SCENARIO FOLLOWING A DEFEAT, TOTTENHAM: Given Liverpool are huge favorites, a loss for Spurs wouldn't be a big deal. But there's intrigue here, too. Pochettino says he's taken Tottenham as far as he possibly can and demands further investment in the side in the summer. If it doesn't come -- and, in fact, contract malcontents Christian Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld leave -- Pochettino resigns, too. Not the best way to end a season filled with so much hope.

CENTER-FORWARD CONUNDRUM, LIVERPOOL: Roberto Firmino is an atypical central striker whose contribution is less about goals and more about his movement, passing and work off the ball. He is invaluable to Liverpool's system but suffered muscular injuries late in the season. Klopp says he's fit for the final, but you wonder how a layoff of nearly six weeks since his most recent start is going to affect him.

CENTER-FORWARD CONUNDRUM, TOTTENHAM: Spurs born and bred, Tottenham fans sing that their captain, Harry Kane, is "one of their own." He undoubtedly is, and what's more, he's one of the best center-forwards in the world, having scored 90 goals in the past three years in all competitions. While it appears he's fit again, his most recent appearance for the club was way back on April 9, so rust is bound to be a factor.

Kane's return also poses a dilemma for Pochettino: Does he leave out either Son Heung-Min or Moura, who were heroic in getting Spurs this far, or does he try to cram all three into his starting XI? On paper, it's a risky thing to do ... then again, he's done it five times in the Premier League this season. And each time, Spurs have won.

STAR MAN, LIVERPOOL: Mohamed Salah took Liverpool by storm last season, when he scored 44 goals after joining from Roma, and many expected him to regress to the mean this season. But while his numbers are down (he has 26 this campaign), he's still a constant scoring threat.

STAR MAN, TOTTENHAM: Christian Eriksen is the sort of player soccer connoisseurs love. Neither particularly quick nor athletic, he's hugely clever in finding space and unlocking opposition defenses and is always a threat from long range.

WHERE THE GAME WILL BE WON OR LOST: Both teams love to exploit the flanks, and Liverpool in particular have devastating fullback-winger combinations in Andy Robertson with Sadio Mane on the left and Trent Alexander-Arnold with Salah on the right. How Pochettino defends them will be key since both his full-backs (Kieran Trippier and Danny Rose) are more attack-minded. He might resort to a back three or, more likely, demand more work off the ball from his wide attacking players.

(Side note: Keep your eye on Robertson -- arguably the best crosser of the ball, he could place the ball on a dime in the most dangerous of attacking positions.)

X FACTOR, LIVERPOOL: Liverpool's style means that Virgil Van Dijk is often asked to do a lot of open-field defending. He's one of the best center-backs in the world, and how well he marshals the back four will have a huge impact; so too will the threat he poses at the other end on set pieces.

X FACTOR, TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR: Son has scored more key goals than you can shake a stick at this season, and his combination of strength, tactical nous and energy makes him both a nuisance (for opponents when in possession) and a threat to run behind (when opponents lose possession).

- Laurens: Lloris discusses Spurs' 'miracle' Champions League run
- O'Hanlon: Alisson is the real reason Liverpool reached UCL final
- Champions League final: ESPN FC coverage

LIVERPOOL WILL WIN BECAUSE ... They simply have more top-to-bottom quality in the lineup, and two key Spurs players are returning from injury (not just Kane but Harry Winks, too). Many of the matchups favor them in different areas of the pitch, particularly out wide. What's more, they have a distinct edge in dead-ball situations -- their goal difference in the Premier League in this department was plus-15, to Spurs' plus-5 -- and that can be decisive in a one-off match.

TOTTENHAM WILL WIN BECAUSE ... Pochettino knows how to be pragmatic, and in a final, the old standby of soaking up pressure and hitting on the counter works well. There's also more pressure on the opposition, and Pochettino is a master at spinning the underdog tale to motivate his players.

PREDICTION: Liverpool 3-1 Tottenham

There's a reason why these two clubs were separated by 26 points in the Premier League this season. Liverpool have more of an edge to them this season -- witness Robertson tackling Lionel Messi at Anfield -- and Klopp has more tactical Plan B options, like Xherdan Shaqiri off the bench or Gini Wijnaldum ghosting into the front three, than he did last season.

ST. LOUIS -- Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon didn't hold back in his criticism of plate umpire Laz Diaz after what he thought was a missed strike-three call in the 10th inning of Friday night's 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

With a runner on second base and one out, Cubs reliever Dillon Maples threw a 3-2 slider against the Cardinals' Harrison Bader that appeared to land in the strike zone. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, the pitch is called a strike 92 percent of the time.

"Here's a guy ascending to the major leagues as a relief pitcher, doing a wonderful job, does his job, and doesn't get rewarded for it," Maddon said of Maples. "That's what kind of pisses me off, quite frankly."

Maples was a bit more subdued when he discussed the call afterward.

"I just made a close pitch and obviously didn't get the call I wanted," he said. "So I was a little upset, but you have to move on."

Unfortunately for Maples, he wasn't able to. He walked the next batter on four pitches to load the bases before being pulled. Steve Cishek came on in relief, but two pitches later, the game was over on a bases-loaded bloop single to the left-field corner by Matt Carpenter.

Maddon said he was most concerned with his pitcher's psyche after the missed call.

"That's the kind of thing that bums me out," he said. "To have pitches taken away from him in a crucial moment. ... Now my guy has to go home and feel bad about himself tonight. And it wasn't even a borderline pitch. It was a strike."

Maddon has never been in favor of robot umpires, and didn't waver Friday, even after losing a game on what potentially was a missed call.

"I'm still not advocating an electronic strike zone," Maddon said. "I'm advocating, 'Let's go, you cannot miss that pitch in that situation.'

"He gets that fellow right there, I think it's a pretty high percentage chance he gets the next one, too."

Maddon was also critical of the Cubs' offense, which is mired in an 0-for-25 slump with runners in scoring position, including 0-for-8 on Friday. According to ESPN Stats & Info research, the Cubs are the only team in baseball this season with multiple streaks of 0-for-25 or worse with runners in scoring position. Earlier in May, the team went 0-for-28.

"That stinks," Chicago third baseman Kris Bryant said. "We have to do something to turn it around. It would be nice if this was something we didn't have to talk about."

One thing Bryant couldn't avoid discussing was getting booed all night at Busch Stadium. Cardinals fans let him have it after Bryant called the city of St. Louis "boring" during a comedy sketch last winter.

The Cubs' star expected the boos -- but not necessarily from his own team. Led by first baseman Anthony Rizzo, Bryant's teammates decided to boo right along with the fans when Bryant came to the plate for the first time.

"It was pretty funny," Bryant said. "I wanted to look and see all who was doing it. ... I think he told the bullpen guys to get in on it."

Said Maddon: "I don't think I've ever roundly booed one of my own guys before. I can check that off the list."

As the night went on, the boos became louder each time Bryant batted -- not from the Cubs' dugout, of course, but from the stands.

"They were into it, for sure," Bryant said of Cardinals fans. "It was impressive."

Bryant has maintained he was joking when he called St. Louis boring, though he hesitated when asked what he did on his day off in the city Thursday.

"Do I have to answer that?" Bryant said, smiling. "I didn't do much. I rested. I recovered."

Bryant indicated there were no hard feelings, and that he appreciated Cardinals fans for sticking up for their team and city.

"The stuff I heard wasn't personal," Bryant said. "It was booing. That's what it should be about."

DETROIT – Tony Buffomante claimed the pole for the Trans-Am Series TA2 Muscle Car Challenge at Belle Isle Park on Friday afternoon.

Buffomante and Rafa Matos traded fast times lap after lap during the 30-minute qualifying session for Saturday’s race, as Matos put his newly wrapped No. 88 Lear 3Dimensional Services Group Chevrolet Camaro into qualifying service looking to claim pole.

After pulling in to allow his Pirelli tires to cool, the Illinois-native dropped to mid-pack in the quickly moving session. With a cleaner track and cooler tires, Buffomante’s Mustang turned rocket ship, as he flew back to the top in the final minutes to challenge Matos.

Buffomante set the fastest lap of the day at 1:35.492 seconds, only .288 of a second ahead of the reigning TA2 champion Matos. In 2018, Buffomante drove flag to flag in the Detroit Grand Prix opening TA2 round after winning the pole.

“It’s good to be back,” said Buffomante. “I haven’t raced since Sebring, so I was a little bit rusty, but these Mike Cope Racing guys continued to work on the cars, making them better each round. We went out those last few laps and did what we could do! A driver has to have a good handling car here and be confident in it, because those walls will come out and bite you. It will be an interesting race tomorrow. I’ll be uber-aggressive, since we’re going for wins so we’ll see how things shake out.”

Rookie driver Lawless Alan experienced his best qualifying so far this season. After a troubling couple of practice sessions earlier in the day, Alan finally adapted to the 2.35-mile circuit, sliding into a third-place start for Saturday’s 60-minute feature. This is the 18-year-old’s first time turning laps on a street course.

“The first two sessions, I didn’t have a clue, and I knew I needed to figure out something for qualifying,” said Alan. “I talked to my teammate Tony Buffomante about gearing and how he was picking up some of the corners, and I decided to modify what I was doing to fit that more closely. I picked up a lot of time from that, so I appreciate his help, though I think I could have gone even faster. Coming from short tracks, I’m all too familiar with the wall – and occasionally finding it – so once I got used to how the car handled on this bumpy track, the walls weren’t that much of an issue. As long as I knew I was going to missed them, I didn’t care how close I got.”

MALTA, N.Y. – For the third week in a row, the winning pass was made late in Albany-Saratoga Speedway’s DIRTcar modified feature.

This pass was for the win was the latest yet, as the starter was waving the checkered flag Friday night when Marc Johnson edged ahead of longtime leader Rocky Warner by inches.

Warner had led since lap five after charging from the third row to shoot down polesitter Matt Pupelo.  His journey to the lead was slowed by a red flag for a hard flip by John Bellinger, subbing for son Bodie, on lap two and a backstretch melee two laps later.

Once the green stayed out, Warner blew by Pupelo and ran off to nearly a half track lead, leaving Pupello and Neil Stratton to battle for second.

By halfway in the 35-lapper, the 11th starting Johnson had clawed his way to second and began taking huge bites out of Warner’s lead as they both worked through heavy traffic.

By lap 25 he was a turn behind and as the lapped counter hit 30, he was four car lengths behind the leader.  With the crowd up and roaring, Johnson lost ground in traffic, then got it back to draw even at the flagstand as they received the white flag.

Headed to turn three, Warner had the advantage again but a lapped car slowed his entry to the turn just enough that Johnson got alongside again.  They hit the frontstretch even but Johnson managed to pull the win out by inches as they hit the stripe.

“That was a hell of a race,” quipped the normally laid back Johnson. “The laps were ticking off and I didn’t know if I’d make it.  Rocky and I are good friends and I love seeing him win, but not tonight.”

Stratton was third ahead of 15th-starting Stewart Friesen, Pupelo, CG Morey, Kris Vernold, Matt DeLorenzo, Keith Flach and Brett Hearn.

Derek Bornt claimed the $1,000 Sportsman feature win, followed by Justin Buff and Connor Cleveland.  Pro Stock action saw Robbie Yetman, subbing for Chuckie Dumblewski, drive to the lead from deep in the pack to best Josh Coonradt and Dan Older.

Esperance of Tunisia retained their African Champions League crown amid bizarre scenes on Friday when Wydad Casablanca refused to play on after having a goal disallowed and then walked off the pitch when the decision was not referred to the Video Assistant Referee.

With Esperance leading 2-1 on aggregate, Wydad thought they had equalised in the 59th minute when Ismail El Haddad had the ball in the back of the net.

However, referee Bakary Gassama disallowed the goal due to an infringement in the build-up and opted not to consult the VAR to check the decision.

That led to a stoppage as the Moroccan club's players protested, with their reserves and coaching staff storming onto the pitch to harangue the referee, while Esperance supporters hurled objects at the Wydad bench.

Once tempers settled down, Wydad then refused to get the game back underway, continuing to argue with officials while the referee, from the Gambia, and the home side waited with the game suspended.

Confusion reigned as Confederation of African Football officials consulted with the referee with no one prepared to take a decision about whether to continue with the game.

Eventually CAF President Ahmad came down to the pitch with the respective club bosses but the debate continued without resolution and with the delay continuing past 30 minutes Ahmad went onto the pitch to talk to the referee.

Gassama then handed Wydad a warning to continue and a time limit to resume the game but the Moroccans refused, their players sitting on the bench or kicking a ball on the side of the field.

After a total delay of one hour and 25 minutes, Gassama blew his whistle to indicate the match had been abandoned and Esperance were declared champions.

The game kicked off at 10 p.m. local time to allow players and fans to break their fast during the Moslem holy month of Ramadan and the confusion continued early into Saturday morning.

At the time of the stoppage, Esperance were leading through Youcef Belaili's 41st minute goal.

The striker curled in a strike from the edge of the area after a defence-splitting pass from talented wide man Aymen Ben Mohamed, who was born in London to an Irish mother and Tunisian father.

Esperance had held a 10-man Wydad to a 1-1 draw away in the first leg last Friday, where there were several contentious VAR decisions,

They are only the fourth club in the more than 50-year history of the competition to retain the title. The victory is their fourth in the continent's top club competition after previous success in 1994, 2011 and last year.

Esperance celebrated the club's centenary with an undefeated Champions League campaign, winning eight games and drawing four en route to the winners' podium in a triumph for their 37-year-old coach Moine Chaabani.

ST. LOUIS -- Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. is hopeful the young girl who was struck by a foul ball off his bat on Wednesday night will make a "full recovery."

Speaking about the incident Friday before the Cubs played the St. Louis Cardinals, he joined in on a chorus of people calling for the MLB to do more to protect fans.

"I hope this never happens again. So whatever the league has to do to make that happen. ... I don't think any kid that goes to a baseball game with their parents or loved one should worry about making out unhealthy," Almora said. "I don't think that should ever cross their mind. So whatever the league needs to do to do that, that should be in place."

Almora was visibly shaken several different times during the game at Minute Maid Park in Houston on Wednesday, eventually letting his emotions come out in a huge hug with a security guard near where the fan was hit. By Friday, the 25-year-old was processing the moment much better.

"I've had a great support group around me, from my family back home and I can't speak enough about my teammates," he said. "This has been something I'll never forget in the way my support system is around me and how many people actually care.

"Everyone can be happy and jolly when things are going well but, excuse my language, when the s--- hits the fan, and people are around and show up, that's when it counts."

Asked how he was dealing with the whole incident, Almora responded: "I thought I was going to be a lot worse but this isn't about me. I'm not in the hospital."

On Wednesday, after the game, Almora committed to having a lifelong relationship with the fan. He's anxious to do that once the family feels it's time.

"Hopefully all is well and she's going to make a full recovery, God willing, but it's something I'll never forget for the rest of my life," Almora said. "When they're ready, I'll do whatever I can do to put a smile on that little girl's face."

Josh Bell finished off his historic May with two more hits, giving him 94 total bases in May, the most by any player in May since Willie Mays (102) in 1958.

Bell went 2-for-5 and drove in a run to help the Pittsburgh Pirates pounce on struggling Milwaukee starter Jhoulys Chacin in a 9-4 victory Friday night.

His 94 total bases in May is the most by any player in any month in the Pirates' 138-year history. The most recent player with that many total bases in a calendar month was Giancarlo Stanton, with 98 in August 2017.

"I feel like I'm just riding the wave,'' Bell said.

Bell hit a scorching .389 in May with 12 home runs -- two of which ended up in the Allegheny River, making the 26-year-old first baseman the first player to land two in the drink since PNC Park opened in 2001.

He also joined Hall of Famers Frank Robinson and Hank Aaron as the only players in National League history to have 12 doubles and 12 home runs in the same month.

"He pushes himself,'' Pittsburgh pitcher Chris Archer (2-5) said of Bell after picking up his first victory since April 7. "If he gets out, he's mad. He's hitting .340 and he's angry that he got out, which continues to keep him motivated. He's not content. We've got four months left in the season and I expect to see big things from him going forward.''

Bell didn't provide any big blasts Friday night, but contributed to a flood of small ones as the Pirates won for just the fourth time in 11 games. Starling Marte had three hits and scored three times and Kevin Newman went 2-for-5 with two RBIs to extend his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games.

SHAKY CHACIN

Chacin (3-7) fell to 1-7 in his past 10 starts when his command abandoned him in the third inning. The 11-year-veteran walked four batters in the frame, three of them with the bases loaded, including a five-pitch walk to Archer that pushed Pittsburgh's lead to 5-1. Freddy Peralta replaced Chacin and Newman delivered a liner to left field that allowed Colin Moran and Adam Frazier to score and push Pittsburgh's advantage to 7-1.

Chacin -- a 15-game winner last season for a team that reached the National League Championship Series -- saw his ERA balloon to 5.74 after being charged with seven runs in 2⅔ innings, with two strikeouts. His four walks marked a season high and he threw just 40 of his 76 pitches for strikes.

"I just lost my focus in that inning,'' Chacin said. "That never happened to me before, walking guys with the bases loaded like that. I need to start to do a better job if I want to keep pitching.''

Something that might not be guaranteed. Asked if Chacin might need a break, Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said only: "We've got to figure out how to get him pitching the way he's capable of.''

ARCHER REBOUNDS

Archer came in winless since early April, a stretch that's watched the centerpiece of a deal that sent Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows to Tampa Bay search for answers. He seemed to find some in a bullpen session in Cincinnati while throwing to Jacob Stallings. Stallings encouraged Archer to rely more on his fastball, and Archer responded by striking out seven with two walks in seven innings. He gave up a solo home run to Jesus Aguilar in the third and a three-run shot to Keston Hiura in the fourth but settled down afterward.

"I'm going to stay relentless,'' Archer said. "I've been doing this a long time. I'm not going to let [a slump] define me.''

TRAINER'S ROOM

Brewers: C Manny Pina (right hamstring discomfort) is expected to rejoin Milwaukee over the weekend.

Pirates: RHP Jordan Lyles (left hamstring discomfort) will start Sunday's series finale. ... RHP Keone Kela will be shut down for 10 days after the right shoulder discomfort that sent him to the injured list popped back up during a rehab assignment.

UP NEXT

Brewers: Brandon Woodruff (7-1, 3.22 ERA) will look for his seventh straight win on Saturday. Woodruff limited the Phillies to one run in eight innings last Sunday.

Pirates: Nick Kingham (1-1, 8.28) hasn't won a game as a starter since last July, but will get the nod Saturday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More home runs were hit this May than in any other month in Major League Baseball history.

Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went deep in the eighth inning at Colorado on Friday, the final day of the month, to set the record with the 1,120th homer in May.

That broke the previous mark for the most long balls, which had stood since August 2017.

Pittsburgh's Josh Bell, Houston's Alex Bregman and Cincinnati's Derek Dietrich led the way with 12 home runs each in May.

Four of Bell's homers traveled 450 feet or more, tied for the second-most in any month in the past 10 seasons behind Trevor Story's five in September 2018. Bell had never hit any home run that far in his major league career before this season.