Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson believes centre-back Joel Matip deserves to start in the Champions League final.

The Reds will take on Spurs in the final at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid on June 1.

And Lawrenson thinks Matip has played well enough alongside Virgil van Dijk to make Jurgen Klopp's starting line-up.

“It would be tough on Matip [to not start the final]. He has been really, really good – and not just defensively," Lawrenson told the club's website.

“He has been a bonus because he has been coming out with the ball and committing opposition midfield players. If you're a midfield player in that team, you're looking at that and thinking it's great because he's giving you a little bit more room to play.

“I think it'll be Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk [in the final], I can't see any other combination."