Mohamed Salah is looking to gain some fitting revenge after the Liverpool superstar was given the Champions League final opponents he craved in Real Madrid.
Liverpool survived a test of character to record a 5-2 aggregate win over Villarreal on Tuesday to reach their third European showpiece in five seasons. It keeps Jurgen Klopp’s side on course to claim an unprecedented quadruple with the Carabao Cup already in the bag. They are also only a point behind Manchester City in the title race and face Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
However, it is clearly the Champions League which most whets Salah’s appetite.
Both Virgil van Dijk and Klopp sat on the fence when asked to choose a preferred opponent in Paris.
But for Salah, he made his hopes crystal clear when asked which of the Spanish giants or City he’d like to face in the final.
“I want to play Madrid, I have to be honest,” the Egyptian told BT Sport.
“City is a really tough team, we played against them a few times this season.
“I think personally, I would prefer Madrid. We lost in the final to them so I want to play against them and hopefully win it.”
Salah’s wishes looked bleak with City 5-3 up and heading into the 90th-minute at the Bernabeu.
But two goals in as many minutes from Brazilian star Rodrygo sent the match to extra time.
And to cap one of the most extraordinary periods of recent footballing memory, Karim Benzema slotted home an extra-time penalty to send Real Madrid through.
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After the game, a very honest and downbeat Pep Guardiola explained how the match slipped away from his side.
But for Salah, the chance of revenge against Real Madrid will be sweet.
He was wiped out during the game after a crude Sergio Ramos challenge. That saw Salah suffer a shoulder injury, forcing his early exit from the game.
And a Gareth Bale double – including a spectacular overhead kick – helped Los Blancos to a famous win.
Clearly revenge is on…