Europa League Round of 16, 1st leg: Sparta Prague v Liverpool, Thursday, 5.45 – Virgin Media Two & TNT Sports 1
Mohamed Salah is in line to make his Liverpool comeback against Sparta Prague on Thursday with Jürgen Klopp admitting he needs his leading goalscorer for a critical period in the quadruple-chasing season.
Salah has given Liverpool another lift in advance of the Europa League last 16 first leg tie and Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash with Manchester City by resuming training after more than a fortnight out with a hamstring injury. Klopp claimed the forward, who has scored 19 goals this season, may not have been considered for the trip to Prague under normal circumstances, having only returned to training on Monday. But with both legs of the Europa tie, City’s visit to Anfield plus an FA Cup trip to Manchester United all to come in the next 10 days, the Liverpool manager needs Salah back up to speed urgently.
Klopp, who welcomed Darwin Núñez and Dominik Szoboszlai back from injury against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, said: “Mo has travelled with us and has trained for two days. He is full of energy, and we have to see, but it is so good that he is back. It is really good and you can see it in his face. It was a very unlikely situation being that long out and then he came back against Brentford, played an incredible game, and was then out again.
“We want to be careful, we have to be careful, but we’re in the middle of a super-intense period of the season and we need everyone. So let’s see how long we can use him. It’s just good news.”
Salah returning before the international break increases the likelihood that Egypt will call him up for a friendly tournament against New Zealand and either Tunisia or Croatia following the United FA Cup tie, despite his injury problems. Klopp refused to become embroiled in another club v country dispute.
“That is nothing to do with us,” he said on the prospect of Salah, who suffered his original hamstring injury during the Africa Cup of Nations, being called up. “That will be decided by different departments. Let’s see how long he can play now. He has only been two days in team training. In a different situation players are not in the squad at this moment but now the situation makes sense. What can you give them? How much can you use them? And then these two games with Egypt, it is really not up to me. We’re not involved.”
The Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister predicted “a great battle” against a Sparta team that are unbeaten at home this season and overturned a 3-2 deficit against Galatasaray in the playoff for the last 16, winning 4-1 at home. The Czech champions, who currently have a four-point lead at the top of the table, are managed by the former Midtjylland coach Brian Priske. Klopp admits the pair had a run-in during Liverpool’s Champions League group games against the Danes in 2020-21.
The Liverpool manager recalled: “If I remember right we had some arguments on the touchline about their style of play as the opponent was pretty rough. I saw the Galatasaray game and that was not a friendly game either. It is the knockout stages, you go for everything and everyone involved in this stage of the competition is ambitious. We aren’t here for a friendly game.
“But he is doing a good job here and, after nine years, being Czech champion again is super impressive. Obviously there are some good Danish coaches out there.” – Guardian
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