Fasting or not, Salah is ready - Klopp

KIEV, Ukraine (AP):

Jurgen Klopp would not reveal if Mohamed Salah is fasting for Ramadan while preparing for the UEFA Champions League final.

But either way, Liverpool's star forward is "full of power", his coach said yesterday on the eve of club football's biggest game.

"Religion is private how I understand it, so nothing to say about that, but all fine," Klopp said on Salah and Ramadan, adding that the Egyptian is "full of power and whatever you need to be the day before a final".

During Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink between sunrise and sunset. That could possibly leave Salah, an attacking sensation this season for Liverpool and a key figure in the final against Real Madrid, facing a tricky preparation for the game in Kiev today.

Today, the sun rose in Kiev just before 5 a.m. local time and will set just before 9 p.m., less than an hour before kick-off. If he is fasting, Salah will go around 16 hours without food or drink on the day of the biggest game of his career and then have a very short time to eat and rehydrate.

Klopp also conceded that Real's experience of winning the Champions League the last two years will give them an advantage, but hopes to find the right tactical solution to bridge the gap.

"Experience is very important, and I'm really pretty sure that in a second before the game, Real Madrid will be more confident than we are. But it's not a problem because the game doesn't end in that second, it only starts," he said.

"Nobody expected us to be here, but we are here because we are Liverpool. It's the most exceptional run to a final with the most goals ever. I can't believe that it's true, but it's us."