Mohamed Salah has returned to Liverpool for their trip to Marseille in the Champions League.
Salah has spent the last month away at the AFCON, exiting the competition in the semi-finals at the hands of Sadio Mane’s Senegal.
Liverpool trained ahead of Marseille on Tuesday afternoon, and the 33-year-old was heavily involved.
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Prior to the tie, Arne Slot spoke about Salah in his pre-match press conference, dropping an interesting hint.
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Milos Kerkez pictured in action during Liverpool's Premier League match against Brighton at Anfield.
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Arne Slot hints at Mohamed Salah starting vs Marseille
Speaking to the press, the Dutchman seemed to suggest that the winger’s goal record in the Champions League will put him back in the team on Wednesday evening, saying he wants to see what Salah ‘can show tomorrow evening’.
He said: “So, to have Mo back is of course helpful because in his absence we have created a lot of chances and not always converted them.
“I think I saw today that he scored 45 goals for Liverpool at Champions League level, and the next player is a player with five goals: Virgil van Dijk.
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“It’s nice to have him back, especially if he is able to reach that level again where he was able to score the 45. That’s what he can show tomorrow evening.”
It’s good news for fans, who, as Slot pointed out, have watched their side fail to convert a lot while the veteran forward has been away on international duty.
But his return to the eleven poses one problem for the Liverpool manager.
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Roberto De Zerbi during Bayeux FC v Olympique de Marseille - French Cup 2025/2026
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Florian Wirtz must start for Liverpool against Marseille
Salah will, of course, take his natural place on the right wing, with Jeremie Frimpong reverting to the full-back role in Conor Bradley’s absence.
In midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai, despite his penalty miss versus Burnley, remains a crucial player and will need to be deployed ahead of the pivot.
That leaves Hugo Ekitike as the obvious starting forward, with two players competing for the left-wing role.
We know how much Slot loves to play Cody Gakpo, only really dropping him this season when he was injured or recovering from his issue.
In fact, the 1-0 win over Real Madrid is the only Champions League game Gakpo has not started in 2025/26 when available for selection.
However, Florian Wirtz is in superb form of late, and his connection with Ekitike is beginning to blossom.
In turn, even though it’s unlikely to be what Slot wants, he needs to ensure that Wirtz starts ahead of one of his preferred players in Gakpo this week.
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