Salah on Liverpool’s bench for Champions League clash
The coach Arne Slot has decided to bench Mohamed Salah for Liverpool’s Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday. The decision comes after a five-match goal drought for the star player.
Florian Wirtz, a £100 million signing, enters the midfield after being a substitute in the Premier League defeats against Chelsea and Manchester United.
With Liverpool looking to avoid a fifth consecutive defeat for the first time since September 1953, Slot has brought former Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike back into the starting eleven, replacing Salah. Alexander Isak, a £125 million signing, keeps his place in the team despite having scored only one goal in seven matches since his transfer.Arne Slot has left Mohamed Salah out of Liverpool’s starting eleven.
Salah, 33, signed a new two-year contract with Liverpool at the end of last season after scoring 29 goals and registering 18 assists to lead his team to the Premier League title.
But after scoring just three goals in 11 matches across all competitions so far this season — Salah has also registered three assists — Slot has opted to keep faith in new signing Isak in an effort to reignite his form at the club.
French international Ekitike faces Eintracht for the first time since leaving the Bundesliga club to join Liverpool this summer for £69 million.
The Egyptian also started on the bench in Liverpool’s last Champions League match, a 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray on September 30.Liverpool Lineup:Starting lineup: Giorgi Mamardashvili, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitike, Alexander IsakSubstitutes: Freddie Woodman, Kornel Misciur, Rio Ngumoha, Alexis Mac Allister, Milos Kerkez, Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo, Federico Chiesa, Conor Bradley, Mohamed Salah
