"Always dangerous" - Real Madrid star Eder Militao wary of threat posed by Liverpool duo
Real Madrid star Eder Militao is wary of the threat that could be posed by Liverpool duo Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah when the two teams meet on March 15.
Los Blancos won the first leg of the UEFA Champions League last-16 tie at Anfield on February 21 by a 5-2 margin. They trailed 2-0 after 14 minutes but went on to score five goals without a reply.
Militao, who scored his team's third goal on the night after heading in a free kick from Luka Modric, isn't ready to call the tie a foregone conclusion. He understands that Liverpool could spring a surprise at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Militao has earmarked two Reds attackers that his team will have to watch closely in the return leg - Firmino and Salah. The Egypt international has never won a game against Real Madrid in seven tries, scoring twice and assisting once in that process.
For the first time in his PL career, Mo Salah completely missed the target on a penalty 😳 https://t.co/1JR6RPnYzA
Salah also skied a penalty in his side's shock 1-0 league loss against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday (March 11). Nevertheless, his goal-scoring pedigree is not up for debate.
Speaking ahead of the game, Militao, who has 32 appearances across competitions for Real Madrid this term, said (h/t Express):
"The night in Liverpool was one of the most historic in my sporting life — to win 5-2 there and score is a unique moment for any footballer. But Liverpool have a super squad and now we do not want to be surprised at home.
The Brazil international added:
"Mo Salah has come into a good moment in attack. He is always dangerous and against us he is hyper-motivated, and also Roberto Firmino is scoring goals again. So until the end of this match, nothing has been decided."
Salah has 22 goals and 11 assists in 38 games across competitions this season. Firmino, who is Militao's teammate at the international level, has 10 goals and five assists across competitions this term in 10 fewer games.
Bournemouth hand Liverpool major shock before Real Madrid clash
Bournemouth ended Liverpool's five-game Premier League run without a loss or conceding a goal with a 1-0 win this weekend.
Sunday: Beat Man Utd 7-0
Saturday: Lose 1-0 to last-place Bournemouth
Liverpool 🤷♂️ https://t.co/QBvMtY2vvw
Philip Billing's 28th-minute opener proved to be the difference on the day. Mohamed Salah had a golden chance to level the scoreline from the spot in the 69th minute.
However, the former Chelsea winger hit the ball out of the target area and missed just his third-ever Premier League penalty. This leaves the Reds six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand.
Barring a miracle against Real Madrid, manager Jurgen Klopp's side are set to end the season without a trophy. They haven't finished outside the top four since the 2015-16 season.