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PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed his hopes for this weekend's Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
The Parisiens fell well short of their goal to win their inaugural European crown this season, as three goals in 17 minutes from Karim Benzema meant they threw away a 2-0 lead against Los Blancos in the round of 16.
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Pochettino, who won his first league title as a manager this season, has revealed he has a soft-spot for Liverpool and for Jurgen Klopp.
Speaking to El Partidazo de COPE (as quoted by Marca), the Argentine boss claimed:
"I have a very good relationship with the people of Liverpool, with their coach, but I'm not going to hide that Real Madrid was always a weakness when I was a football player. The important thing would be that we see a good show and that the best team wins."
He added:
"The favoritism of some team has not been reflected in this Champions League. Many things can happen in a final. It hurts because one imagined being in the final in Paris."
Pochettino was in charge of Tottenham when the Reds won their most recent European Cup, as goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi sealed a 2-0 victory in Madrid over Spurs.
The 50-year-old spent the majority of his playing career for La Liga side Espanyol and was regularly on the losing side against the Galacticos.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp hails Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti
Ahead of the final at the Stade de France, the Reds boss was full of praise for his opposite number, who Klopp claims he has a "really good relationship" with.
Ancelotti has won three Champions League titles with Madrid and AC Milan and during his press conference before the game, Klopp claimed (as quoted by The Mirror):
"He is one of the best people you can ever meet, fantastic company, and we have a really good relationship. It had a bit of a break when he was at Everton because we both respected this part of the business too much otherwise we would have gone out for dinner a couple of times."
Saturday's showpiece is a repeat of the 2018 final in Kyiv, which Madrid won 3-1 thanks to goals from Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale.
