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Harry Kane and Virgil van Dijk

Champions League Final: All eyes on Madrid!

Champions League Final: All eyes on Madrid!

Welcome to This Week from Premier Skills English, a weekly review of football action for learners of English from across the globe. In This Week, Jack and Rich talk about the latest action from the Premier League. They keep you up to date with our latest competitions and have lots of football English for you to learn.

Transcript

If the listening is a bit difficult, try listening and reading at the same time.
Read the transcript and listen at the same time.

Introduction  

Jack: Hello my name’s Jack and welcome to our weekly round-up section called ‘This Week’ on Premier Skills English.

Rich: Hi there. I’m Rich. We’ve got lots of interesting words and phrases to help you talk about football in English.

Jack: We want you to use and practise these phrases by interacting with Premier League fans from around the world in our comments section.

Rich: If you listen to us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, you can leave your comments in the review section. We do read all the reviews and would love to hear from you.

Jack: You can find all our latest content on the Premier Skills English homepage or the Premier Skills-British Council Facebook page. 

Rich: Let’s start with our headlines!

Headlines

Jack: All eyes on Madrid as Liverpool and Spurs get ready for the big one.

Rich: Tottenham and Liverpool are preparing for the biggest ever fixture to be played outside the UK involving two Premier League teams. The Champions League final is on Saturday and 150,000 fans are expected to make the trip to Spain.

Jack: Kane in a race against time.

Rich: Tottenham’s captain, Harry Kane, is hoping to be fit for the final despite being out of action for nearly two months. Kane says he’s ready but he might have to settle for a place on the bench if he’s not match fit.

Jack: Villa return to the Premier League.

Rich: Aston Villa have been promoted to the Premier League after a three-year absence following a 2-1 win against Derby County in the Play-off FInal at Wembley. They will be joined in the Premier League by Norwich City and Sheffield United who also won promotion from the Championship.

Jack: So, Saturday - the Champions League Final. We’re going to speak about this a little later and we will make our predictions, but it’s great for the Premier League, isn’t it?

Rich: It is, yes. Both teams deserve to be in the final and I think it shows that the Premier League is getting stronger and stronger.

Vocabulary alert!

Jack: In our vocabulary alert, we look at some football English that we used in the headlines.

Rich: Our six words and phrases this week are: fixture, all eyes on, race against time, out of action, on the bench, match fit, and promotion or to be promoted.

Jack: Let’s start with fixture. A fixture is simply a scheduled match between two teams. A match that has been fixed or arranged in an official way.

Rich: We said that the Champions League Final is one of the biggest ever fixtures to involve two Premier League teams outside of the UK.

Jack: It’s used in a more formal way so is not a synonym of match, we wouldn’t say: Are you going to watch the fixture? We would always say: Are you going to watch the match?

Rich: The next phrase is ‘all eyes on’. This phrase is used when we want to say that everybody will be watching or paying attention to something.

Jack: We said ‘all eyes will be on Madrid’ in our headlines because everyone will be paying attention to the fixture in Madrid this Saturday.

Rich: The next phrase is a race against time. This phrase is used when you need to do something quickly because there is only a short time available to do it.

Jack: We said Harry Kane is in a race against time to be fit for the final. He has been injured and the final is this weekend!

Rich: The next phrase is out of action. This phrase is used when someone is injured or ill or something is not working properly.

Jack: Harry Kane has been out of action for nearly two months. He’s been injured.

Rich: The next phrase is on the bench. The bench is the substitutes bench so to be on the bench means to be a substitute.

Jack: If Harry Kane is not match fit he might only be on the bench.

Rich: Match fit is our next phrase. A player might not be injured but if he has only just recovered he might be fit but not match fit if he or she hasn’t trained much.

Jack: Match fit is to be totally ready to play in a match.

Rich: Our last phrase is to be promoted or to win promotion. In football, the phrases mean to move from a lower division to a higher one.

Jack: Aston Villa were promoted last weekend and Norwich City and Sheffield United have also won promotion to the Premier League.

Rich: OK, so there are our six words and phrases. Listen to this part of the podcast again if you are not sure how to use them.

Jack: The words and phrases are: fixture, all eyes on, race against time, out of action, on the bench, match fit, and promotion or to be promoted.

Football Awards

Jack: Right, every week, we give out three Matchweek awards. 

Rich: The awards are Player of the Week, Team of the Week and Goal of the Week.

Jack: But, last week, we didn’t do that. Instead, we gave you three nominations for Player of the Season, Team of the Season and Goal of the Season.

Rich: And we asked you to vote for the one that you think should win each award. Lots of you voted and we are now going to announce the winners.

Jack: So our nominations for Player of the Season were: Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling, Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane.

Rich: And with 55% of the vote our Premier SKills Player of the season is Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.

Jack: The next award is for Team of the Season. The nominations were: Wolverhampton Wanderers, Liverpool and Manchester City.

Rich: And with 69% of the vote our Premier Skills English Team of the season is Manchester City.

Jack: And finally, Goal of the Season. The nominations were: Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany, Crystal Palace’s Andros Townsend and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard.

Rich: And with 47% of the vote our Premier Skills English Goal of the season is Chelsea’s Eden Hazard for his brilliant solo effort against West Ham.

Matchweek Prediction 

Jack: Every week, Rich we predict the result of one Premier League match. The Premier League season is over but we’ve got the Champions League Final to predict.

Rich: I’m going to ask you first, Jack. Who’s going to win?

Jack: I’m really not sure but I do have a feeling that Spurs might just do it and as an Arsenal fan I’ll be devastated.

Rich: Devastated? Really?

Jack: For Spurs to win the Champions League before Arsenal, yeah, although if we have won the Europa League it will make things a bit easier, but not much.

Rich: OK, well here is my prediction. We all know that Liverpool face Tottenham in Madrid in only the season-ever meeting between two Premier League clubs in the Champions League Final. Both teams staged epic comebacks in the semi-finals against Barcelona and Ajax respectively and both teams think they have a good chance. Will Harry Kane be on the bench? Will he be match fit? Answers to these questions will definitely affect Tottenham’s chances. Well, to be honest, I’m not so sure because I think Liverpool will win if Spurs have Kane or not. I think the front three of Salah, Mane and Firmino will be too much for Tottenham and the Reds will be celebrating a winning Europe’s biggest competition for the sixth time. Final score: Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham.

Jack: You’re confident! What do you think the result will be? Write your prediction in the comments section at the bottom of the page and after the match tell us what you think.

Rich: Right, that’s all we have time for. I hope you have enjoyed this football round-up. Join the discussion at the bottom of the page on the Premier Skills English website. 

Rich: If you listen to us on Apple Podcasts, don’t forget to leave us a review. We’d love to hear from you.

Jack: Bye for now and enjoy your football.

Results

Play Off Final:

Aston Villa 2-1 Derby County (Aston Villa promoted to the Premier League!)

Headlines

All eyes on Madrid as Liverpool and Spurs get ready for the big one!

Spurs and Liverpool will play at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid.

Tottenham and Liverpool are preparing for the biggest ever fixture to be played outside the UK involving two Premier League teams. The Champions League final is on Saturday and 150,000 fans are expected to make the trip to Spain.

Headlines

Kane in a race against time

He looks fit to me! But, will Harry Kane be match fit on Saturday?

Tottenham’s captain, Harry Kane, is hoping to be fit for the final despite being out of action for nearly two months. Kane says he’s ready but he might have to settle for a place on the bench if he’s not match fit.

Headlines

Villa return to the Premier League

Congratulations to Aston Villa who were promoted to the Premier League last weekend.

Aston Villa have been promoted to the Premier League after a three-year absence following a 2-1 win against Derby County in the Play-off Final at Wembley. They will be joined in the Premier League by Norwich City and Sheffield United who also won promotion from the Championship.

Vocabulary Alert

Football English

We looked at six pieces of football English that you can learn to improve your English. Take a look at the phrases in bold. Do you understand what they mean?

The Champions League Final is one of the biggest ever fixtures to involve two Premier League teams outside of the UK. A fixture is a scheduled match between two teams

All eyes will be on Madrid when Spurs play Liverpool. This phrase is used when we want to say that everybody will be watching or paying attention to something. The Champions League Final will tak e place in Madrid.

Harry Kane is in a race against time to be fit for the final. This phrase is used when you need to do something quickly because there is only a short time available to do it.

Harry Kane has been out of action for nearly two months. He’s been injured.

If Harry Kane is not match fit he might only be on the bench.  Match fit is to be totally ready to play in a match. The bench is the substitutes bench so to be on the bench means to be a substitute.

Lucas Moura got a hat-trick for Spurs in the semi-final.

Can you use the words in bold in a different sentence? Write a sentence at the bottom of the page. If you're not sure, listen to the audio for more explanations and examples.

The Big Match

Champions League Final: Liverpool v Tottenham

Liverpool fans will have everything they need for the match on Saturday!

The Premier League season has finished but the football season isn't over yet. It is the Champions League Final on Saturday between Spurs and Liverpool in Madrid, Spain. Rich thinks Liverpool will win the cup but Jack thinks Spurs will lift the trophy. Who do you agree with?

Write your predictions at the bottom of the page!

Season Awards

Who has won our end of season awards?

You chose Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk as the Premier Skills English Player of the Season!

We chose three players, three teams and three goals that we think were the best in 2018/19. You voted last week for who you think should win. Here are the results:

Player of the Season: 

  • 33% to Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

  • 12% to Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

  • 55% to Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Team of the Season: 

  • 69% to Manchester City

  • 26% to Liverpool
  • 5% to Wolverhampton Wanderers

Goal of the Season: 

  • 47% to Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

  • 22% Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace)

  • 31% to Vincent Kompany (Manchester City)

Four Questions

What do you think?

Who will come out on top in the Champions League Final?

Jack and Rich have spoken about the Champions League Final and promotion to the Premier League. Now it's your turn! Have a look at the questions and write your answers in the comments section below.

  1. Who will win the Champions League Final? Why? 
  2. Is the Premier League the strongest league in Europe? Why/why not?
  3. Can the new clubs avoid relegation next season?
  4. Use this week's vocabulary: Do you think Harry Kane is match fit? Should he start the match or be on the bench

Don't forget to make your prediction for this week's Big Match! It's Liverpool v Spurs in the Champions League Final!

Let's get the conversation started and create a community!

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Comments

hsn's picture
hsn
03/02/2022
TR
5525
points

What do you think?
2.Yes. In my opinion, Premier League not only in Europe but also in the world most valuable and spectacular league.They approach football as a science. I've read that many consultants who are specialized in the different areas provide technical support to the manager and squad at the background.
3. Relegation is like a disaster and all the teams are trying to avoid it. May the best team win-:)
4. "To dare is to do" otherwise you might have to settle on the bench in the life-:)
I've been vaccinated fourth times for (Covid-19) virus. I'm match fit now-:) to struggle with it.
Phrase
• All the eyes will be on the newly elected president who has to do what he promised during his campaign. He'll be in a race against time.


hsn's picture
hsn
03/02/2022 13:21
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5525

What do you think?
2.Yes. In my opinion, Premier League not only in Europe but also in the world most valuable and spectacular league.They approach football as a science. I've read that many consultants who are specialized in the different areas provide technical support to the manager and squad at the background.
3. Relegation is like a disaster and all the teams are trying to avoid it. May the best team win-:)
4. "To dare is to do" otherwise you might have to settle on the bench in the life-:)
I've been vaccinated fourth times for (Covid-19) virus. I'm match fit now-:) to struggle with it.
Phrase
• All the eyes will be on the newly elected president who has to do what he promised during his campaign. He'll be in a race against time.

elghoul's picture
elghoul
03/06/2019
DZ
3988
points

1. We have just watched the final one day ago. In fact we tried to watch as much as we can because of fasting and the fixture was just at eating time. Nevertheless we enjoyed this two nile win. Harry Kane who was out of action for two months was also out of the match the entire one hour and half.

2. For the first time the PL appears as the first league in Europe. We were not used to that since ages.

3. For sure the three clubs that had been promoted can avoid relegation but none of them would win the FL title.

4. If I were Pochettino I would rather let Kane stay on the bench.

 


elghoul's picture
elghoul
03/06/2019 13:45
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

1. We have just watched the final one day ago. In fact we tried to watch as much as we can because of fasting and the fixture was just at eating time. Nevertheless we enjoyed this two nile win. Harry Kane who was out of action for two months was also out of the match the entire one hour and half.

2. For the first time the PL appears as the first league in Europe. We were not used to that since ages.

3. For sure the three clubs that had been promoted can avoid relegation but none of them would win the FL title.

4. If I were Pochettino I would rather let Kane stay on the bench.

 

Freddynho's picture
Freddynho
01/06/2019
EC
1
points

This final is epic. Liverpool has reached the final three times showing all the clubs in Europe that it is a strong team which has been working so hard and on the other hand it is Tottenham which has also shown that in this year they can do it. For me the Premier league is the best league in the world, and Liverpool will win the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL.


Freddynho's picture
Freddynho
01/06/2019 02:39
Ecuador
Manchester United
1

This final is epic. Liverpool has reached the final three times showing all the clubs in Europe that it is a strong team which has been working so hard and on the other hand it is Tottenham which has also shown that in this year they can do it. For me the Premier league is the best league in the world, and Liverpool will win the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL.

Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
31/05/2019
UA
4408
points

My prediction is 1-0 to Liverpool because I believe Klopp and his team will use their experience which is much higher than Spurs have.


Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
31/05/2019 21:40
Ukraine
Watford
4408

My prediction is 1-0 to Liverpool because I believe Klopp and his team will use their experience which is much higher than Spurs have.

Khaldoun83's picture
Khaldoun83
31/05/2019
DZ
325
points

1- I'll bet that tonight will be Jurgen Klop & Liverpool's night because they seem stronger than their rival, I'm sure Sallah, Ferminho and Mani will destroy Spurs defence.

2- No, I don't think that the Premier League is the strongest league in Europe, it my be come in the third place after La liga and Bundesliga, don't forget that Premier Leaugue's clubs didn't play UCL final since 2012. However, I consider it as the most exciting leauge in Europe.

3- It dependes on whether they recruit new and good players or not.

4- In my humble opinion I don't want him to play the final whatever he is fit to the match or not because he is out of competition since 2 months and he will not help his teamates, Lucas Mora will be better for the game.

 


Khaldoun83's picture
Khaldoun83
31/05/2019 19:08
Algeria
Liverpool
325

1- I'll bet that tonight will be Jurgen Klop & Liverpool's night because they seem stronger than their rival, I'm sure Sallah, Ferminho and Mani will destroy Spurs defence.

2- No, I don't think that the Premier League is the strongest league in Europe, it my be come in the third place after La liga and Bundesliga, don't forget that Premier Leaugue's clubs didn't play UCL final since 2012. However, I consider it as the most exciting leauge in Europe.

3- It dependes on whether they recruit new and good players or not.

4- In my humble opinion I don't want him to play the final whatever he is fit to the match or not because he is out of competition since 2 months and he will not help his teamates, Lucas Mora will be better for the game.

 

Rafael Robson's picture
Rafael Robson
31/05/2019
BR
615
points

I don't think Kane is match fit but he may start on the bench. My guess is LIV 1 × 1 TOT and I hope that Spurs win on the penalty shootouts.
In my opinion the Premier League is the best and strongest league in Europe, because it has six teams able to win domestic and international competitions as well as other teams with interesting players like Wolves, Leicester, Everton, West Ham... . Note, however, that this makes things harder for new clubs. Usually 1 or 2 promoted teams tend to be relegated next season.


Rafael Robson's picture
Rafael Robson
31/05/2019 18:28
Brazil
Tottenham Hotspur
615

I don't think Kane is match fit but he may start on the bench. My guess is LIV 1 × 1 TOT and I hope that Spurs win on the penalty shootouts.
In my opinion the Premier League is the best and strongest league in Europe, because it has six teams able to win domestic and international competitions as well as other teams with interesting players like Wolves, Leicester, Everton, West Ham... . Note, however, that this makes things harder for new clubs. Usually 1 or 2 promoted teams tend to be relegated next season.

Camelia Nguyen
31/05/2019
VN
822
points

Well, I don't think that Premier League is the strongest league in Europe
Because they are lucky to win the semi-final. That's not convince.
The BIG MATCH: Liverpool 2- Spurs 0


Camelia Nguyen
31/05/2019 02:31
Vietnam
Manchester City
822

Well, I don't think that Premier League is the strongest league in Europe
Because they are lucky to win the semi-final. That's not convince.
The BIG MATCH: Liverpool 2- Spurs 0

Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
03/06/2019
UA
4408
points

Good guess, Camelia


Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
03/06/2019 11:41
Ukraine
Watford
4408

Good guess, Camelia

Camelia Nguyen
04/06/2019
VN
822
points

Thanks.
I am a fan of Bayern Munich so I don't like Liverpool so much.


Camelia Nguyen
04/06/2019 04:28
Vietnam
Manchester City
822

Thanks.
I am a fan of Bayern Munich so I don't like Liverpool so much.

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1mobeckham6510
2Alex_from_Ukraine6278
3hsn5525
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4768
6Liubomyr4408
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia71478
2Ukraine33300
3Spain28277
4Serbia27289
5Brazil23896
6Albania20578
7Vietnam19939
8Turkey19810
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United141846
2Liverpool110282
3Chelsea88559
4Arsenal85713
5Manchester City56951
6Tottenham Hotspur19169
7Newcastle United10457
8West Ham United7454
9AFC Bournemouth4454
10Crystal Palace4240

Level

3
Average: 3 (1 vote)

Goals

Improve your football English.

Practise your listening skills.

Make your prediction for next week's big match.