Mane set to face Bafana in 2018 qualifiers
JOHANNESBURG: Despite his English Premier League club Liverpool ruling him out of action for up to six weeks, injured attacker Sadio Mane has been named in the Senegal squad for back-to-back 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Bafana Bafana next month.
Mane suffered a hamstring injury during the most recent international break when the Teranga Lions beat Cape Verde 2-0 in Group D of the African qualifiers for the tournament in Russia.
He was unavailable for Liverpool’s goalless draw with Manchester United at the weekend and the Champions League group stage clash away to Maribor in Slovenia, where the Reds won 7-0 on Tuesday.
Liverpool expect him back on 25 November and the two successive World Cup qualifiers against Bafana – first in Polokwane and then in Dakar – are scheduled to be played two weeks earlier than his supposed return.
“In my mind there’s no doubt he will be with us for the double-header against South Africa and that he will be 100 percent fit,” said Senegal coach Aliou Cisse.
“Until now, he has just been doing some individual training – running in straight lines – but from next week, he is going to train harder and start working with the ball.”
It will be interesting how this plays out given that Liverpool are probably surprised by Cisse’s inclusion of the talisman.
Senegal, who are top of Group D, only need a point from their remaining two games to qualify for the World Cup.
The game in Polokwane is a replay of the match played at the same venue nearly a year ago, with Bafana winning 2-1 before Fifa nullified the encounter as they alleged it had been fixed.
Referee Joseph Lamptey from Ghana, who was in charge of that game, has since been handed a lifetime ban from football. He is, however, fighting the sanction through the courts.
Bafana need to win both matches to qualify for the World Cup.
Meanwhile, according to Reuters reports, Liverpool must replicate their Champions League finishing to revive their Premier League campaign, winger Mohamed Salah has said.
Salah and striker Roberto Firmino grabbed a brace each as Liverpool pounded Maribor to record their biggest away European win.
The victory has given Liverpool, who managed one win in their last five league games, the confidence to be more clinical in front of goal, said Salah.
“I think it’s an important result for us so we have to keep looking forward and we have to win the next games,” the Egypt international told BT Sport.
“In the last three or four games we missed many chances... and we had bad luck.
“I think that everyone has confidence that the good result is coming, so now we are in a good position and I’m sure in the next games it will be the same.”
The 25-year-old has now scored eight goals in 13 appearances for Liverpool, but was more occupied with team performance than personal records.
“The team did good and we had a good result so that’s the most important thing,” Salah added.
“I’m very happy for that – seven goals or eight goals (scored since he joined Liverpool) doesn’t change anything, but the most important thing for us is to concentrate on improving the results in the Premier League.
“We didn’t win for two, three games, so we need to carry on and keep looking forward and win the next games.”
Eighth placed Liverpool travel to third placed Tottenham Hotspur in the league on Sunday.