LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Arne Slot has welcomed Mohamed Salah’s return to Anfield despite his team having ’15 strikers’, as the Egyptian star nears his return from Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) duty.

Salah is scheduled to play in Egypt’s third-place match against Nigeria in Morocco tomorrow night.

His return has been in the spotlight following a controversial interview earlier this month, when Salah claimed the club had ‘sacrificed’ him after being rested for three consecutive games and claimed to have no relationship with Slot.

However, Salah was brought on as a substitute in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Brighton on December 13, where he provided an assist, before Slot insisted the club had put the controversy behind them.

“First of all, he has to play another big match with Egypt this Saturday,” said Slot.

“Then he will come back to us and I am happy with his return. Mo is very important for this club and also for me, so I am happy he is back.

“Even if I had 15 strikers, I would still be happy if he came back, but that’s not our situation right now. So I’m happy he’ll be back after another important game that he needs to play.”

Salah scored 29 league goals last season to win the Premier League Golden Boot, but has only scored four goals so far in the current campaign.

Liverpool will face Marseille, managed by Roberto De Zerbi, in the Champions League early Thursday morning before traveling to Bournemouth next weekend.

JEDDAH: Raphinha scored twice as Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup after beating Real Madrid 3-2 in an intense final at King Abdullah Stadium.

The El Clasico action took a dramatic turn with four goals scored in a short period of time towards the end of the first half.

After a balanced start, Barcelona began to dominate the game and opened the scoring in the 36th minute when Raphinha rushed into the penalty box before firing a low shot into the corner of the opponent’s goal.

Real Madrid equalised in the second minute of first-half injury time with a stunning solo goal from Vinicius Jr, who sprinted from the centre of the pitch, past two Barcelona defenders before finishing calmly.

The drama was not over when two minutes later Robert Lewandowski put Barcelona back in front after being given space in the penalty box to beat the goalkeeper.

However, the chaos continued before the break. From a Real corner, Raphinha made a clearance on the goal line, but Gonzalo Garcia grabbed the rebound which hit the crossbar and post before crossing the line, tying the score at 2-2 as the two teams entered the dressing rooms.

Raphinha secured Barcelona’s victory in the 73rd minute when he fired a shot from outside the penalty area. Despite slipping slightly as he attempted to do so, the ball hit the Real defender, eluding Thibaut Courtois before slotting into the net.

Towards the end of the match, the atmosphere heated up again when Barcelona were forced to play with 10 men after Frenkie de Jong was sent off following a tackle on Kylian Mbappe.

Real tried to take advantage of the numerical advantage, but failed to equalize when two close-range attempts by Alvaro Carreras and Franco Mastantuono were blocked by goalkeeper Joan Garcia.

The victory allowed Barcelona to win the 16th Spanish Super Cup title in the club’s history.

LONDON: Ruben Amorim has the potential to land a new job in his homeland just days after leaving Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho is currently under immense pressure at Benfica after his team fell 10 points behind in the league title race.

The club also struggled in the Champions League when they were ranked 25th overall.

The Daily Mail report claims Amorim is in the “top position” to replace another former Manchester United manager.

Mourinho’s position is said to be increasingly shaky, while Benfica has a long history of interest in Amorim’s services.

Previously, Amorim dismissed rumours of a return to Benfica in September after the club’s presidential candidate, Joao Noronha Lopes, expressed his desire to bring him back.

Lopes was also present at the match at Old Trafford after publicly describing Amorim as the future manager of Benfica, but he lost out in the election to club legend Manuel Rui Costa.

Amorim was sacked by Manchester United on Monday after launching open criticism following the 1-1 draw against Leeds the day before.

The Portuguese manager insisted he wanted to play a full-time manager role and not just a head coach, and was seen mocking director of football Jason Wilcox and head scout Christopher Vivell.

The club’s internal situation is said to be beyond repair, causing Amorim to leave United as the worst manager in the Premier League era with a winning percentage of only 31.9.

LONDON: Thierry Henry insists injuries are not an excuse and Arsenal must win the Premier League this season.

The last time the Gunners won the league title was in the unbeaten 2003-04 season when Henry was the backbone of the team.

This time, Mikel Arteta’s team is at the top of the league with a two-point lead over Manchester City ahead of a busy end-of-year schedule.

However, they have been tested by injuries to players including Ben White, Gabriel, Kai Havertz and Cristhian Mosquera.

Several other players such as William Saliba, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Jesus also escaped some resistance.

White, 28, was forced off after half an hour of play in the dramatic 2-1 win over Wolves on Saturday and will be out for at least a month.

Henry, 48, said: “Injuries, a busy calendar – don’t talk about it. Every team has problems. Let’s see who will be at the top at the end of the season. We have to win the league. It has to be this year.

“In a long season, teams will be tested, injuries will happen and things won’t always go our way. How we deal with it is important.

“From Christmas until the end of February, we can see more clearly who can win the league.”

Arsenal travel to Everton tomorrow, before facing Crystal Palace in the League Cup quarter-finals, followed by Premier League matches against Brighton, Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Liverpool until January 8.

During his eight years with the Gunners, Henry won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups and four Golden Boots, including three in a row from 2004 to 2006. He also holds Arsenal’s record for highest goalscorer with 228 goals.

Recently, Henry was awarded Lifetime Achievement at the BBC Sports Personality Awards 2025.

“I wouldn’t have succeeded without great players, a great team and a great coach. Thank you to everyone who believed in me and those who didn’t,” said Henry.

LONDON: Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has responded to John Terry’s criticism of the rotation of players during the defeat to Leeds.

In his statement ahead of the match against Bournemouth this weekend, Maresca said: “We are looking into why our performance was not satisfactory against Leeds.

“I don’t know if the solution is to have 12 or 14 players and the others only play a few minutes.

“We’re trying to understand if you can play every two or three days with the same 11 players, I don’t know. This is the hardest thing for me this season.”

Chelsea legend Terry previously lashed out at Maresca on social media, claiming a lack of experience and player rotation were affecting the team’s performance at Leeds, and suggested a fixed starting line-up.

Maresca stressed that players such as captain Reece James and key defender Wesley Fofana need to have their playing minutes controlled due to injury history.

He also admitted that the substitutes are not on par with the main players. “Andrey, unfortunately, is not Moi. Tosin is not Wes. They are different. If I say Andrey is like Moi, that would be a lie,” he said.

Regarding the defeat to Leeds, Maresca stressed the problem was not lack of experience.

“We always talk about experience when we drop points. When we win against Barcelona or draw with Arsenal, nobody talks about experienced players.

“We have experienced players, but they are not playing. Who is the oldest on the pitch? Tosin. Is he playing well?” asked the manager.

Maresca also stressed that although some substitutes performed less than satisfactory, his rotation policy was praised for ensuring that key players like James were in the best physical condition.

Chelsea’s board of directors and sporting director fully supported the manager’s decision despite fan criticism of the replacement.

The 42-year-old manager also stressed that his team will continue to develop young players and has no plans to sign new players in the January transfer window.