ITY CHANGE
Kop different class since final mauling says Mo
MO SALAH has warned Real Madrid that they will face a very different Liverpool to the side they defeated in the 2018 Champions League Final.
The pair meet again on Tuesday in the quarter-finals and the Egypt international, 28, was bullish about the clash, despite his team’s injuryravaged campaign so far.
He believes that despite Liverpool’s struggles in recent months in the Premier League, they now have winning in their blood, while Madrid have lost their top stars for whom lifting trophies is second nature.
Asked what is different about this Reds side and the one which was eventually well beaten three years ago, he said: “Since then we’ve won the Premier League and the Champions League.
“We’re winners. That’s a big change.”
He also pointed out that Madrid are now without their biggest star in Cristiano Ronaldo (inset) and Gareth Bale, who delivered the decisive blows in that final with two goals.
“It’s different,” he said. “They’ve lost some great players like Cristiano Ronaldo. At the same time they’ve signed [Eden] Hazard.
“Eden’s been unlucky, he’s been injured, but it’s a different team. We are ready to face them.”
Salah was the victim of a cynical challenge by Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos in the final, which saw him carried off in a massive turning point.
He added: “Let’s just say that I have special motivation to win the tie and go through to the semifinals. But what’s going to happen now isn’t going to change the result of the final in Kiev.”
Ramos is an injury doubt for the first leg at the Bernabeu but Salah added: “That game is in the past, so I don’t think about it.
“I think we’re both strong. Both teams have won their last two games in the Champions League. Both teams are prepared.”
Salah was also asked how he stands with manager Jurgen Klopp after some recent friction over his playing time.
He said: “It’s a normal relationship between two professionals. That’s how I’d describe it.”