Real Madrid defender Eder Militao has warned his team to beware the threat of the ‘hyper-motivated’ Mo Salah in their Champions League clash against Liverpool this week.
The current holders of the trophy go into Wednesday night’s second leg of the round-of-16 tie with a commanding 5-2 lead and home advantage at the Bernabeu, continuing their hex over the Reds in recent years.
However, the Brazilian is taking nothing for granted ahead of this week’s clash and pinpointed one member of Jurgen Klopp’s squad in particular with a point to prove against Los Blancos.
As per 90min, Militao said: “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.
“But Liverpool have a super squad and now we do not want to be surprised at home. Mo Salah has come into a good moment in attack. He is always dangerous and against us he is hyper-motivated… until the end of this match, nothing has been decided.”
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The Real Madrid defender is right to be wary of the threat the Egyptian King can pose when at his best.
The 30-year-old has been very prolific in the Champions League this season, netting in his last six games in the competition and drawing a blank only once, racking up eight goals in the tournament so far (Transfermarkt).
Also, as Militao justifiably references, Salah would surely revel in inspiring a memorable comeback against Los Blancos.
He’s played against Real Madrid five times as a Liverpool player, ending in a draw and four defeats (Transfermarkt), with the first of those coming in the 2018 Champions League final when he was brutally forced out of the match by Sergio Ramos’ gamesmanship.
Klopp’s side face a tall order to maintain their European hopes this week, but they have previous in overturning three-goal deficits against LaLiga opponents in this competition, and the Egyptian King has a score to settle and a formidable scoring record to maintain on Wednesday.