Liverpool face Tottenham on Saturday seeking back-to-back Premier League wins, while transfer conundrums dominate off-field discussions at Anfield
Liverpool will be looking to build momentum with back-to-back Premier League victories when they travel to face Tottenham on Saturday.
Arne Slot’s side currently occupy seventh position in the table following their triumph over Brighton in their previous outing. The Reds kicked off this campaign appearing to be genuine title challengers but endured a damaging run of defeats that derailed their championship aspirations.
The ongoing saga surrounding Mohamed Salah has added to their woes after the forward expressed feeling “thrown under the bus” regarding his reduced minutes on the pitch. Slot’s team will be targeting a climb up the standings with three points in north London, though the outspoken Salah won’t feature as he’s joined up with Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations. Here’s all the latest news from Anfield.
Salah tipped for early AFCON departure
Egypt boast seven AFCON crowns and enter this year’s competition with genuine optimism, spearheaded by Salah. However, fresh supercomputer analysis suggests they could face an early exit, reports the Mirror.
Salah’s nation are gearing up for encounters with Zimbabwe, South Africa and Angola, with predictions from BookmakersCameroun.com backing them to advance from this group.
Yet it’s at the round of 16 stage where they anticipate Egypt will stumble. The supercomputer forecasts they’ll be knocked out by Comoros in a surprising 1-0 reverse at this juncture.
Last 16 fixtures at the tournament are scheduled between January 3 and January 6. Liverpool face Arsenal on January 8, so this timing might prove problematic for Salah should he bow out of the competition.
However, he could be back in contention for the FA Cup tie against Barnsley on January 12, assuming this forecast proves accurate.
Guehi transfer setback
Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi nearly became a Liverpool player during the summer before a £35million agreement fell through.
The Reds are anticipated to make another approach for the England international eventually, though comments from Guehi’s boss suggest this won’t happen in January.
After keeping hold of his club skipper during the summer window, Palace boss Oliver Glasner believes the 25-year-old will stay at Selhurst Park for the remainder of the campaign.
“I think Marc will stay until the end of the season,” Glasner declared ahead of his team’s Europa Conference League meeting with Finnish outfit Kuopion Palloseura.
Liverpool only launched their summer pursuit of Guehi following the Community Shield clash against Palace in August. Chairman Steve Parish recently suggested the Reds might have secured the defender’s signature had they begun talks earlier.
Former Reds star makes appeal
One player who departed Anfield during the summer was Harvey Elliott but he’s endured a selection nightmare since leaving Merseyside.
The 22-year-old joined Aston Villa on loan in September in an arrangement that allegedly features a £35million obligation to purchase if he makes 10 appearances, yet the midfielder seldom features.
Former Liverpool player Don Hutchison has suggested the club should consider recalling Harvey Elliott due to his lack of playing time.
Speaking to Oddsboom, he said: “If you’re Liverpool, you’re probably best off bringing him back and keeping him in the squad.
“They only had a short number on the bench at the weekend and probably that’s why Mo Salah was a little bit fortunate that he made the bench, because you know, [Cody] Gakpo was injured.
“[Wataru] Endo was injured and [Conor] Bradley was suspended. So I think it’ll be a good move from Liverpool to bring him back. But it’s bizarre how he’s not got any game time over at Villa.”