Will Mohamed Salah be Left Out of Liverpool Again in the Second Leg of the Champions League Quarterfinals Against PSG?
JAKARTA - Mohamed Salah had to pay dearly for Liverpool's 0-4 defeat in the FA Cup against Manchester City. As a result, he was replaced by Arne Slot for the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal against Paris Saint-Germain last week.
Salah, 33, was replaced in the 77th minute in the Etihad Stadium defeat after failing to take advantage of a golden opportunity in the first half before his penalty was saved by the Citizens' goalkeeper, James Trafford, in the second half.
For his minor performance, Salah had to warm the bench during the match against PSG in Paris and Liverpool failed to score any shots on target in the 0-2 defeat.
However, Arne Slot emphasized that the reserve of Salah was part of his playing system which chose to defend more.
"In the second half of the game, the most important thing for us is to defend. Mo (Mohamed Salah) has a lot of quality, but to defend for 25 minutes in your own penalty area, it's better for Mo to save energy for the next game," said Arne Slot.
Liverpool will host PSG at Anfield Stadium in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal, Wednesday, April 15, 2026, early morning WIB.
With the Champions League now the only route to a trophy for the Reds this season, Arne Slot looks set to unleash an attacking masterclass in a bid to turn things around.
The scheme, which placed Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez as wingbacks in the first leg in Paris, in front of a three-back formation consisting of Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, and Ibrahima Konate, does not seem to be used again.
As is known, the formation that focuses on three defenders is a system that Arne Slot has never used as a Liverpool coach.
This means that there is a high chance that The Reds will return to using four defenders in the back line, with Dominic Szobozlai and Ryan Gravenberch supporting the trio of attacking midfielders and one attacker.
Arne Slot has many options in the attacking line, ranging from Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah, or the easy player Rio Ngumoha.
Then for the spearhead position, the coach still has Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak who has recovered from injury, and Hugo Ekitike who seems to have a big chance to be a starter.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah has the opportunity to play as a starter against PSG due to his contribution in Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Fulham on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
The Egyptian contributed one goal in the victory, with another goal scored by young player Ngumoha.
Salah has been a regular starter for Liverpool since returning from the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations duty in January 2026. He seems to have regained his confidence after a disagreement with the manager after the international break last month - which made him express his intention to leave Anfield at the end of the season despite still having a one-year contract worth 400,000 pounds per week.