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Liverpool coach, Klopp worried over Salah’s injury –

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African Heavyweights Tumble Like Dominoes At Cup Of Nations -

It is too early to tell the extent of Mohamed Salah’s injury, Juergen Klopp said on Friday, but the sight of the Liverpool talisman limping off the pitch with what his club manager called a hamstring injury rang alarm bells with the Merseyside team.

Liverpool were handed a scare when Salah, the Premier League’s joint top scorer this season with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, limped off just before halftime in Egypt’s 2-2 draw with Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday.

“We don’t know anything about it,” Klopp told reporters on Friday. “I spoke with him last night and how it was. They are doing further assessments now and then we will know more.

“At that moment he was shocked and couldn’t see why he was hit by something so intense. You have these hamstring injuries in a different way. He felt it and we know how rarely Mo goes off, or needs to go off, so it is definitely something, but I don’t have any more information right now.”

The 31-year-old is rarely injured and has missed just 10 league games in six-plus seasons.

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Klopp said he was uncertain whether Liverpool’s medical staff would travel to the Ivory Coast to assess the extent of Salah’s injury.

“We will see. It depends on the diagnostics,” he said. “We will have ultrasound and MRI and then we will know what it is and we will see and make plans, but it’s too early (at the moment).”

Liverpool, who play at Bournemouth on Sunday, top the Premier League on 45 points after 20 games, two points clear of Manchester City. Aston Villa also have 43 points but have played one more game than the two sides above them.

Liverpool will likely be without Trent Alexander-Arnold again on Sunday, Klopp said, after the defender injured his knee in their FA Cup third-round win over Arsenal on Jan. 7.

“Obviously he can walk, on the catwalk,” Klopp said, when asked about Alexander-Arnold being spotted at a fashion show this week in Milan.

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“The injuries are all positive, but not ready. (Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson and Dominik Szoboszlai) are all going in the right direction but we will see when they can join first-team training. I don’t expect them for Bournemouth.

“I hope that nobody else will be out,” the manager added. “After Bournemouth and maybe for Fulham (League Cup semi-final on Wednesday). Trent is close, Robertson close and Dom close. So all going in the right direction but for the weekend’s game, no.”

-Reuters

 

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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AFCON

Libya’s AFCON dreams go up in flames!

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The hopes of Libya securing a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations ticket seem to have gone up in smoke.  This is the sequel to the 2-1 defeat that Rwanda inflicted on the Benin Republic on Tuesday evening.

With the result, Libya’s position is further cemented at the bottom of the table. Nigeria, even with an outstanding match, still leads with seven points.

They are followed by Benin Republic who have six points. Rwanda followed with five points.

The star men were  Innocent Nshuti and Djihad Bizimana  who scored in the space of two minutes as Rwanda came from behind to defeat Benin 2-1 at Amahoro Stadium on Tuesday, October 15.

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AFCON

Rwanda breaks 12-year jinx in victory over Benin Republic

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FILE PHOTO: Rwanda players celebrate in the dressing room after beating Lesotho 1-0 on Tuesday in Durban, South Africa, to go top of Group C in the ongoing World Cup 2026 qualifiers-courtesy.

Rwanda’s defeat of Benin Republic is not just their first win in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series, the victory terminates a 12-year winless streak against the Cheetah of Benin.

It is also a renewal of their hopes of qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. But they still have two more games to play.

The German made two changes from the side that started against Benin last week as Samuel Gueulette and Emmanuel Imanishimwe came in for Kevin Muhire and Claude Niyomugabo respectively.

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AFCON

Libya vs Nigeria: CAF lifts the burden off Nigeria

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The press release on Tuesday by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) may have lifted a burden off Nigeria as the match with Libya is considered postponed rather than the Super Eagles refusing to play.

The continental body remarked that the matter would be referred to the competent CAF bodies.

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