Mohamed Salah doubled down on his comments that Liverpool want revenge against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final. The Egyptian doesn’t know why his teammates won’t talk about it.
Liverpool will play Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final on May 28th. It comes after Real’s stunning win over Manchester City in their semi-final, one day after the Reds booked a place at the expense of Villarreal.
And that, of course, is a repeat of the 2018 final. Liverpool worked hard to make that game, only to suffer a disaster. Injury and mistakes ruined them of a true shot at the European crown – though, they did claim it a year later.
Still, the hurt of defeat in Kyiv still runs deep and it runs particularly deep for one person, in particular. Mohamed Salah went off injured for Liverpool in that game – his final fixture in a season that saw him score 44 goals.
Thus it wasn’t a surprise when Salah told BT Sport on Tuesday evening that he hoped to play Real in the final.
“I want to play Madrid, I have to be honest,” he told BT Sport. “City is a really tough team, we’ve played against them a few times this season.
“But if you’re asking me personally, I would prefer Madrid. Because we lost in the final in 2018! So I want to play against them and hopefully win it.”
The Egyptian then said there was a ‘score to settle’ once Real claimed their semi-final place. He’s the only Liverpool figure to openly talk about wanting Real in the final – and he’s not actually sure why.
Mohamed Salah on Liverpool vs Real Madrid
“If you ask everybody [at Liverpool], everyone wanted that game,” Salah told Sky Sports. “I don’t know why we’re not allowed to talk about it but I’m ok to talk about it – I wanted that game!”
“I wanted to play Real Madrid before that game [against City].
“Of course, I’m not giving too much credit to them. They’re an unbelievable team with a great coach, great players. When they asked me who I wanted, I said Madrid. It’s an easy answer.”
Well, we wanted them, too. And not only because we’re quite sick of playing against City in massive games – there’s a real chance to right a wrong here.
Liverpool failed to give a proper account of themselves four years ago. Salah’s injury and Loris Karius’s mistakes cost them that. Now, however, the Reds can put things right.