Jurgen Klopp reacts to Mohamed Salah’s ‘revenge’ comments about Real Madrid in Champions League final

The Reds reached the flagship event in Kyiv just under three years after Klopp took charge at Anfield but lost 3-1 on a combination of a stunning cameo and a brace from substitute Gareth Bale and a terrible performance by goalkeeper Loris Karius, which essentially represented the end of his career cost them on the biggest stage.

Now Liverpool will play club football’s biggest game for the third time in five seasons after beating La Liga side Villarreal 5-2 on aggregate, and will meet Real Madrid again after Carlo Ancelotti’s side beat Manchester City in a sensational Comeback knocked fashion out of the competition on Wednesday night.

After being presented with the Football Writers’ Award for Premier League Player of the Season, Salah said he was out for revenge against Los Blancos after being eliminated with a shoulder injury after a foul by Sergio Ramos in the final in Ukraine.

“It’s time for revenge,” Salah said on stage at the event. “They beat us in the final last time. It was a very sad day for all of us, so yes. I said I wanted to play them in the final. I’m sure it will be a difficult game. They beat a lot of good teams but I’m excited. The team is excited. We have to stay focused. We have to finish the league first, then we’ll see’

Klopp didn’t go quite that far in his press conference ahead of the Reds’ game against Tottenham Hotspur, but said his immediate priority after the 2018 defeat was to beat Real in another final.

“When we lost that final, my favorite solution would have been to play the final against Real Madrid again next year,” explained Klopp. “Instead we finished the game against Spurs but in Madrid… Madrid seems to be our destiny! We weren’t happy that night, that’s for sure, but it’s been a while and I’m excited to go and try this time. But until then, play a lot of games.’

“It was strange and unfortunate for City [to lose the tie so late], but what Madrid have done is outstanding. They prevailed against PSG, Chelsea and City. If you knock these guys out, you deserve to be in the finals. What Carlo has done there is absolutely incredible.”

Liverpool have already won the Carabao Cup this season and meet Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley on May 14. They are also a single point behind Premier League leaders Manchester City with four games remaining, meaning an unprecedented quadruple is still possible.

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