Mo Salah says the Champions League final is a chance to set up the perfect summer for him on a personal level, with the African Cup of Nations to come later in the off-season.
The winger will be raring to go at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday evening against Tottenham, before the big African tournament, where he will captain hosts Egypt, kicks off next month.
Salah said, via Goal.com: “I hope it becomes a reality and I score in the final, then win the African Cup of Nations too.
“I am so happy that I have the chance to play another final. I hope I can play the full game this time. I am very excited for that. I hope we can right what happened last season, get a good result, and win the competition.
“We are very excited. Everything feels better this time around and we have more experience than the last time.”
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Having beaten Spurs twice this season already in the Premier League, the Reds are favourites to win the trophy, but Salah is well aware that it will not be an easy game to emerge victorious in.
He added: “I think it will be tough. But by the end of the day, this is a final and no opponent would have been easy. It would be the same if it were Ajax.”
If the Reds are to win, Salah is likely to play a crucial role. If Spurs play with a back-three, as they often do, he’s had a lot of joy against that kind of formation in the past, for instance, against his former club, AS Roma, in last season’s semi-final.
Having been injured by Sergio Ramos in last season’s final against Real Madrid, he will certainly be even more up for this one than normal – it would take a brave man to bet against him making up for lost time.