"Slot" addresses longstanding issues with "Salah" after returning to Liverpool for the UCL campaign.
On 21 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Arne Slot, Liverpool's manager and the 4th-placed team in the English Premier League, gave a pre-match interview ahead of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League group stage, Matchday 7, away at Olympique Marseille, 3rd in France's Ligue 1, scheduled tonight at 03:00 GMT+7.
Liverpool will have star striker Mohamed Salah back after a one-month absence following his duties with Egypt at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. However, the media remains attentive to whether Arne Slot will start him or use him as a substitute.
Mohamed Salah previously gave a fiery interview before joining Egypt's national team after being dropped to the bench in several Liverpool matches. He lamented that some people no longer wanted him at the club and that he had no relationship with Arne Slot anymore.
Salah also hinted at a possible transfer during the January winter market, despite recently extending his contract until June 2027. He said the Premier League match where Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 on 13 Dec might have been his last game for the "Reds."
When asked how he would handle Salah's return for the trip to Marseille, Liverpool's manager replied, "There was a period this season when I decided not to play Mo, and a period when I decided not to take him to the Inter Milan game."
"But in other matches, he was always in the squad, and I used him as the first substitute against Brighton. So at that time, I never had any problems, and I think outsiders also saw there was no issue."
"This is the first time he can be back in the team again because he trained with us today and is in the squad for tomorrow. Let's see what the starting lineup will be if you still think there's a problem."
