Real Madrid player discloses Mohamed Salah Liverpool fear as PSG eyes ‘dream’ $413m Kylian Mbappé pair
Liverpool will be competing against Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 match on Wednesday evening.
The Reds have a challenging task ahead of them as they were defeated 5-2 in the first leg by the same team that won against them in the previous year’s final.
Even though they started off well with goals from Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez, Real Madrid dominated the match, and Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr. scored two goals each, while Éder Militão headed in another to give Real Madrid a significant advantage.
It is a daunting task for Liverpool to advance to the next round of the Champions League as no team has ever managed to do so after losing the first leg by three or more goals at home. Jürgen Klopp’s team will need to produce a remarkable performance to avoid losing a knockout tie in the Champions League for only the second time under his management.
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain has been eliminated by Bayern Munich, making them the biggest casualty of the round of 16 so far. Tottenham Hotspur is the only English team to have been knocked out of the competition.
SportsDias has taken a look at the news from other prominent teams in the Premier League and Europe.
Eder Militao wary of ‘hyper-motivated’ Salah
Real Madrid defender Éder Militão has urged his team to remain focused, warning them that their spot in the Champions League quarter-finals is not guaranteed.
Militão specifically mentioned Liverpool’s attacking duo, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, as potential threats to their advancement.
Although Salah missed a penalty in Liverpool’s recent loss against Bournemouth, he has been in fine form, scoring five goals in his last seven matches across all competitions.
Militão also acknowledged that Salah is particularly motivated to perform against Real Madrid, having been forced off with an injury during the 2018 final, in which Liverpool lost 3-1.
“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,” he said, via the ECHO.
“But Liverpool have a super squad and now we do not want to be surprised at home. Mohamed 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.”
PSG sets sights on Haaland
According to RMC journalist Daniel Riolo, there is a possibility that Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) may use the release clause in Manchester City striker Erling Haaland’s contract to pair him up with Kylian Mbappé, creating a dream team.
Riolo also mentioned that Haaland doesn’t seem to be very satisfied in Manchester, despite joining from Borussia Dortmund just a few months ago.
While Manchester City, which is supported by senior figures from the United Arab Emirates, may not want to sell to Qatari-owned PSG due to regional tensions, PSG is interested and could bypass negotiations by activating Haaland’s release clause.
Starting from 2024, teams outside of England will have the option to sign Erling Haaland for $213m (£177m/€200m), which is slightly more than the amount PSG paid for Kylian Mbappé in 2018 after a one-year loan.
Despite scoring 33 goals in 34 games during his first season at Manchester City, the team is currently five points behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race.
There are expectations in some circles that 22-year-old Haaland and 24-year-old Mbappé could become the next Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, establishing themselves as the two greatest and most well-known players in the world. If PSG decides to activate Haaland’s release clause, the club would have spent a total of $413m to bring the duo together.
Real Madrid player discloses Mohamed Salah Liverpool fear as PSG eyes ‘dream’ $413m Kylian Mbappé pair
