Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has told Mohamed Salah he’ll have to be ready for some brutal treatment from his former team-mates as the Reds take on Roma on Tuesday.
Klopp’s side host Roma at Anfield for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie, and that means Salah will be up against the club he left less than a year ago.
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The Egypt international was a star player during his two seasons at the Stadio Olimpico, but has taken his game to another level entirely since moving to Liverpool, scoring 41 goals in all competitions so far.
Salah’s prolific form gives Liverpool genuine hope of winning the Champions League this season, but Klopp has given his top scorer a warning ahead of the Roma game.
The German tactician is aware of how Italian defenders play and believes Salah will soon get an idea of the rough treatment his old colleagues plan to give him on the pitch.
‘I am pretty sure Italian defenders are famous for not having friendly games so I think Mo will feel pretty early in the game they are not his team-mates any more,’ Klopp is quoted by the Daily Mirror.
‘But he can strike back in a football way. He knows that. I don’t need to tell him. I didn’t speak to him after his PFA award but I’ll tell him what I want to tell him face to face.
‘It’s great: but the season is not finished and there are a lot of things to come.’