Klopp Dreams Champions League Final, Praises Salah
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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted that securing a place in the Champions League final will be a dream for him and his players.
The Reds will face AS Roma in the second leg of their semi-final tie at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Wednesday.
They will need to protect a 5-2 lead from the first leg in Rome to reach a ninth European Cup final.
“We are here to fight for our dreams – that’s how it is – and we want to go to the final as you can imagine,” Klopp said at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
“We were very positive at Anfield, we were 5-0 up and then we conceded two and then after the game a few people had the feeling that we lost, but we didn’t. We are still 5-2 up – people think Roma only need to win 3-0 but that’s quite a result [to pull off].
“But that means there is a football game to play tomorrow and I am really looking forward to it because that’s what you want. You want to play when it is big stakes for the big things and that is why we are here.
“It is a great opportunity. It’s a game in a wonderful stadium, in a wonderful city against a very strong side.”
Liverpool have won three, drawn two and lost one of their previous six meetings with Roma.
Klopp will most importantly bank on Egypt forward Mohamed Salah who grabbed a brace against his former club in the first leg to deliver the goods once again.
“He (Salah) has matured, got confidence here,” Klopp stated.
“He came from Chelsea to Florence and played a good season, but not as good as the season at Roma. He grew up and became the player he is now. We are the lucky guys who have him now in the team, that is how it is.
“It is not that I have explained to him exactly how to score goals, he knew that before already, but each striker in the world does not start as an 18-year-old boy as the goal-getter – he needs to make his own experiences.
“That is what Mo did, in very difficult circumstances, coming early [in his career] from Egypt to Switzerland [with Basel], doing all that journey, carrying all that responsibility for all the people, maybe for a whole country, and he is really quite cool with it. He has good teammates, they love helping him and they love how he helps them.”
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