KOP FURY AT TICKET SHORTAGE FOR KIEV
LIVERPOOL fans hoping to see their team in the Champions League final in Kiev are angry after learning the club will receive just 16,626 tickets. Jurgen Klopp’s side meet Real Madrid at Kiev’s 63,000-capacity Olympic Stadium on May 26. Liverpool receive a quarter of the seats but feel they could sell four times as many. Following the announcement after Liverpool’s 7-6 aggregate win over Roma on Wednesday, supporters flocked to social media to slam the allocation as a joke and accuse UEFA of pandering to sponsors. UEFA say clubs receive close to 17,000 tickets, though 250 are for players, families and staff. Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren insists they have nothing to fear from Real Madrid, who have won the trophy three times in the last four years. He said: ‘They are quite confident. But we don’t care for that, we are focused on our job. Why should we fear them? They should fear us. The best teams in the competition are us and Real Madrid. Let’s see what happens.’ Mo Salah vowed to ‘bring the trophy back to Anfield’ as he insisted the final will not become a shootout between himself and Cristiano Ronaldo. With 43 goals in an incredible debut season at Liverpool, Salah has been touted to succeed Ronaldo as the next Ballon D’Or winner and if he were to sparkle in Kiev, the Egyptian’s chances would be strengthened. But Salah, who has scored 11 Champions League goals this season, has made it clear the clash is not about proving who is best — it is about a club hoping to make history. ‘It is not going to be a final between Salah and Ronaldo,’ he said. ‘I am playing for a great club and we have great players, so qualifying for the final came with team work. I cannot do it alone. I know all of the Arab people wish the best for me. They want me to win the Ballon D’Or. But I am only thinking about the final and to bring the trophy to Anfield.’ Meanwhile, Liverpool are looking to sign 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund winger Christian Pulisic, who trained with the German club’s first team under Jurgen Klopp.