D-day has arrived.
It’s 13 years since Liverpool have been in a Champions League final. For many of those years, that famous night in Istanbul seemed a distant memory. But now, and in the last few weeks, the wonder of that amazing experience has been flooding back for ‘Pool fans.
It’s been infesting them, it’s been taking over them.
That’s because they’re back, back where they believe they belong. Ever since Mo Salah notched his second goal in the first leg against Roma, Liverpool fans have been looking forward. They’ve been looking to Saturday May 26.
Their date with destiny is only a few hours away now, and Liverpool fans are daring to dream. With Real Madrid in raging hot pursuit of a fourth European Cup in five years, Jurgen Klopp’s men will be up against it, but where they have Mohamed Salah, they always have hope.
The Egyptian has surprised everyone with his form in the red jersey this year. A Chelsea reject, the former FC Basel schemer was always seen as a skilful player, but a skilful player who had too much flakiness and lacked the cool head required to make it to where he is now.
From Chelsea, Salah went to Roma and in the heat of West Italy, the afro-headed dynamo caught fire. He was the club’s Player of the Season that year and it just underlines the how shrewd Jurgen Klopp was, and how well he did to recruit the burgeoning talent.
That €42 million would soon seem like a drop in the ocean. The 25-year-old hasn’t taken a backward step in an incredible debut season which has seen him hit the net 44 times in all competitions, the exact same amount of times Cristiano Ronaldo has for Madrid.
Salah’s finishing has been as ruthless as it has been attractive. Like all good goalscorers, he makes it look like he has all the time in the world when his chance arrives in front of goal.
On top of that, he has the speed and skill to conjure something out of nothing. Liverpool fans have, at this stage, unconditional faith in their mesmeric attacker and even the might of Sergio Ramos and Real Madrid won’t diminish that.
Because, let’s be honest, Madrid have their moments at the back. There will be a moment where Salah is bearing down on goal with the shape of a man who hasn’t a care in the world but with the speed of a cheetah. If he does what he’s been doing all season, he’ll dink it over Navas. He’ll send Liverpool fans wild.
He’s priced at 9/2 with most bookies to be the game’s first goalscorer, he’s worth a bet. At 6/5 to score anytime, particularly with Marcelo racing around the pitch like a barking mad man, those odds aren’t too shabby.
The bet all Liverpool fans will be looking to, however, is the ‘Both Teams To Score’ and Liverpool to win number. That’s 5/1 with Paddy Power.
