Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Salah ready for Arsenal
Cardiff fans plan giant flag tribute to Leicester’s Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
JUERGEN KLOPP expects forward Mohamed Salah to be ready for Liverpool’s trip to Arsenal despite a wrist injury but midfielders Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita are both ruled out.
Salah was seen training with a protective cast on his forearm this week but Klopp dismissed any fresh injury concern relating to the Egyptian.
“Mo, it is nothing really serious – it’s a kind of inflammation of the tendon,” Klopp said. “That’s pretty much all.
“It (the support) was only for protection – the pictures you saw were only protection and it has no influence.”
Henderson and Keita remain on the sidelines with hamstring injuries and will not be available for the clash at the Emirates Stadium today.
The pair are also a doubt for the Champions League trip to Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday.
“Hendo feels really good but it will be probably the start of the week when he will be back in training,” Klopp added.
“Naby, end of this week. It doesn’t make a big difference match-wise, but that’s how it looks.”
Klopp is yet to suffer defeat against Arsenal since arriving at Anfield, claiming 11 points out of 15 against the north London outfit in the league.
However, the German expects a difficult game against an Arsenal side rejuvenated under new manager Unai Emery and on an eight-match unbeaten run in the Premier League.
“If a new manager comes in all players are immediately out of their comfort zone. They all have to prove from the first day that they are not only the name, they are the footballer as well.”
● Manchester United can only start to think about challenging for the Premier League title once they have fought their way back into the top four, manager Jose Mourinho said.
United travel to Bournemouth today, nine points behind table-toppers Manchester City and Liverpool and five points off the final Champions League qualifying spot occupied by Arsenal.
Mourinho believes eighth-placed United, who are unbeaten in their last three league games, will improve and close the gap on their rivals over the next couple of months.
“When you are outside the top four I don’t think you should speak about the title,” Mourinho said.
“When you are top four you can look up, see the distance, look to the fixtures, to the calendar, you can look to the situation at the moment, injuries, suspension, form and then you can feel it."
Forwards Jesse Lingard and Alexis Sanchez were among the substitutes against Everton last weekend, and Mourinho said the pair are in a much better condition to play a role at Bournemouth.
“Last week was an effort from them to be available to help the team. But now it is a different story. They are ready to play really.”
In-form Bournemouth, currently sixth in the league, will look to secure a fourth victory in five league matches when they host United.
● Cardiff City fans plan to unveil a giant flag with the Thai emblem to honour Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha when the teams meet in an emotional clash today, manager Neil Warnock said.
Warnock said the Thai tycoon’s death in a helicopter crash last weekend had made the match at the Cardiff City Stadium lose its significance, but would bring fans from both teams closer.
“Things like this unite supporters,” Warnock said. “It is going to be a difficult time for both teams and supporters. I think our fans have been fantastic – they have done a giant flag to be passed around and it will be quite emotional for our fans.”
Leicester manager Claude Puel paid an emotional tribute to Vichai on Thursday and said it had been one of the hardest weeks in the history of the football club.
Puel said Leicester’s players were devastated by the accident and the team wanted to honour their chairman on the pitch against Cardiff.
Warnock said he was unsure what would happen on the pitch.
“Football pales into insignificance when you see what’s happened and how important life is,” Warnock said. “Tragedies such as this are so few and far between that they do hit home about what is important in life. It is only a game but you can’t just push this under the carpet.”
Leicester, Premier League champions in 2016, are 12th in the table on 13 points, while promoted Cardiff are 17th with five points from 10 games. – Reuters
FIXTURES
TODAY
Bournemouth v Man United 2.30pm SS3 West Ham United v Burnley 5pm SS5 Cardiff City v Leicester City 5pm SS11 Newcastle United v Watford 5pm SS12 Everton v Brighton & Hove 5pm SS3 Arsenal v Liverpool 7.30pm SS3
Wolves v Tottenham 9.45pm TOMORROW Manchester City v Southampton 5pm SS3 Chelsea v Crystal Palace 6pm SS5