“Mo Salah will want revenge” – Carragher insists Liverpool superstar will be ‘desperate’ to put 2018 final to bed during Real Madrid showdown in Champions League
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Mohamed Salah will be seeking 'revenge' against Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
The final in Paris on 28 May will be a repeat of the 2018 decider which took place in Kyiv. Los Blancos won 3-1 against the Reds to claim their 13th European crown.
Half an hour into the clash, with the score at 0-0, Salah was forced off due to a dislocated shoulder inflicted by Sergio Ramos. The Egyptian had enjoyed the season of his life at the time, having already scored 44 goals in his 52 games.
Despite Ramos no longer playing for the Spanish champions, Carragher believes the 29-year-old will be desperate for Liverpool to beat Madrid. He told CBS Sports (via GOAL):
"Mo Salah will want revenge, 100%. It was a massive blow for Salah himself. For him, he’d just come alive that season and everyone knew what he was about. He got over 40 goals and that was going to be his moment."
"Ramos definitely knew what he was doing. You talk about the dark arts of football and there’s probably nobody as bad. It’s part of football but he pushes it to the limit."
Carragher added:
"Ramos won’t be involved but Mo Salah will be desperate to put that final to bed. To be honest, a lot of that team – I’m thinking of the midfield, I’m sure that night it was (Luka) Modric, (Toni) Kroos and Casemiro – I think that will be the midfield again."
Liverpool forward sends ominous message to Real Madrid
Following the Galacticos' extraordinary comeback victory against Manchester City in the semi-final, Salah tweeted a simple warning to the Spanish giants ahead of the final. You can view his tweet below:
We have a score to settle. https://t.co/MWxfhIIW78
Liverpool reached their third final in five years after seeing off La Liga side Villarreal in the final four. The forward was recently asked who he would rather face at the showpiece event at the Stade de France.
Salah made no secret of who he would like to face, telling BT Sport via The Mail:
"I want to play Madrid, I have to be honest. Manchester City's a real tough team, we've played against them a few times this season. If you ask me personally, I would prefer Madrid. We lost in the final before against them, I want to play them and, hopefully, we'll win."
Salah is having another exceptional campaign for the Reds. He has scored 30 goals and provided 14 assists in his 45 appearances, including eight strikes in the Champions League.