You’ll kop it in final, Spain keeper tells his Liverpool team-mate (From Lancashire Telegraph)

You’ll kop it in final, Spain keeper tells his Liverpool team-mate

12:54pm Friday 9th July 2010 in World Cup 2010 news

Pepe Reina has already exchanged jubilant text messages with Dirk Kuyt in anticipation of Sunday’s World Cup final – but he hopes the smile is wiped off his Liverpool team-mate’s face at Soccer City.

Kuyt was first to make contact following Holland’s victory over Uruguay in Cape Town on Tuesday.

Twenty-four hours later it was Reina’s turn to respond after Spain had booked their first appearance on the game’s greatest stage by overcoming German resistance.

The chat will continue to be jovial for the next couple of days.

But Reina knows by the final whistle, only one man will be celebrating. And he is confident it will be him.

“I have been in touch with Dirk and I heard from him before and after the game,” said Reina.

“He wished us luck yesterday and now it is 100 per cent certain that Liverpool will have a World Cup winner.

“That is something to be proud of at least but hopefully on Sunday Dirk won’t be that happy.”

Almost certainly, Reina will be restricted to a watching brief, as he has been all the way through the tournament.

But he expects to see a typically industrious display from Kuyt.

“We all know Dirk’s game,” said Reina.

“He does an awful lot of work and we know how important he is for the team.

“He is a top-class player. It is going to be really tough for us to stop him on Sunday because, as everyone knows, he never stops running.”

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