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Salah names the team he wants to face in the Champions League final

Mohamed Salah at Liverpool
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The Egyptian will make his third Champions League final appearance with Liverpool in five years later this month.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah wants to face Real Madrid in the Champions League final on May 28 in Paris.

Salah assisted Fabinho for Liverpool’s first goal to help spearhead a 3-2 comeback win in Tuesday’s second-leg against Villarreal, ensuring Jurgen Klopp’s side won the semi-final tie 5-2 on aggregate.

As a result, Liverpool have clinched a spot in the showpiece final at the Stade de France. Their opponents will be either Manchester City or Real Madrid. The two clubs play their second leg on Wednesday, with City holding a 4-3 lead in the semi-final tie in the Spanish capital.

With the memory of Liverpool’s 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the 2018 final still fresh in his mind, however, Salah has no doubts about which team he wants to see progress.

“I want to play Madrid,” the 29-year-old told BT Sport. “I have to be honest. City is a really tough team, we play against them a few times this season. But if you ask me personally, I would prefer Madrid.”

He added: “We lost in the final so I want to play against them, hopefully win it from them as well.”

Salah came off in the first half with a shoulder injury during the 2018 Champions League final after then-Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos dragged him to the ground in Kyiv.

But the Egypt international and Liverpool bounced back the following year, beating Tottenham 2-0 in the 2019 final.

Liverpool head to Paris later this month hoping to complete a remarkable quadruple this season. They’ve won the EFL Cup, reached the FA Cup final, and are one point behind Manchester City in the Premier League table.

The Reds will next take on Tottenham at Anfield for another Premier League match on Saturday.

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