Jurgen Klopp is hopeful that Mo Salah and Sadio Mane WILL be available for blockbuster New Year clash with Chelsea – as Liverpool hold talks with Egypt and Senegal over playing duo before Africa Cup of Nations
- Jurgen Klopp is confident Liverpool will receive a boost for their Chelsea clash
- It is hoped that Mo Salah and Sadio Mane will be available for the New Year tie
- The duo are set to depart for the AFCON in January, in a big loss to Klopp
Jurgen Klopp is confident Liverpool will receive a boost in the New Year and have Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane available for their blockbuster clash with Chelsea.
Salah and Mane will be involved at the Africa Cup of Nations, which is being staged in Cameroon, through January. Mane will be in action first, when Senegal play Zimbabwe on January 10 with Egypt’s campaign starting against Nigeria 24 hours later.
Liverpool have long been resigned to being without players who have scored 28 goals between them so far for Premier League games against Brentford and Crystal Palace – they could potentially miss two FA Cup games and the Carabao Cup semi-final also – but are desperate for them to face Chelsea.
Jurgen Klopp is confident Liverpool will receive a boost for their New Year clash with Chelsea
Mohamed Salah (R) and Sadio Mane (L) are hoped to be available for the game in London
Discussions are ongoing with both nations and Klopp, whose side face Wolves on Saturday, said: ‘It’s not decided yet. I am an optimistic person so I hope so, but it’s not written in stone, not completely in our hands.’
Klopp, meanwhile, revealed there was no update to provide on Liverpool’s attempts to get Salah to sign a new contract. There has, though, been one new deal agreed this week with goalkeeper coach John Achterberg extending his terms to 2024.
Liverpool this week appointed Claudio Taffarrel, the Brazil World Cup winner, to their goalkeeping coach staff but Klopp insisted it was no reflection on Achterberg’s work or suggested he was being in some way phased out.
Klopp said: ‘It’s really good and exciting. He is a brilliant guy and he’s older than me, which is important because I was the oldest in the coaching staff!
‘John Achterberg renewed his contract, by the way, until 2024. Because people very often make the wrong conclusions because of some things. John is the head of the goalie department and Taffa is a wonderful add on to that.’
Their availability will be a huge shot in the arm for Klopp as he faces Thomas Tuchel’s side