Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp expects Mohamed Salah to be available for next week’s Champions League quarter-final encounter with Manchester City after deciding to leave him off the matchday squad for Saturday’s Merseyside derby.
Salah picked up a groin injury in the second half of the first-leg quarter-final victory over Manchester City.
Although he failed to overcome the problem in time for the final Merseyside derby of the season, Klopp is confident that Salah, along with Andy Robertson who was also ruled out of Liverpool’s clash with Everton through injury, will be ready when the Reds travel to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
“Mo (Salah), he’s injured,” Klopp said. “I don’t think it is really serious and he can be available for Tuesday but for today he wasn’t available. It’s the same with (Andy Robertson).”
Salah, who scored the opener in Liverpool’s 3-0 triumph over City on Wednesday, sits two goals back of the Premier League single-season scoring record in a 38-match season after finding the back of the net 29 times in 31 appearances.
If he manages to regain fitness, he will have a chance to break the record – which is shared by Alan Shearer, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luis Suarez – next weekend when Liverpool takes on Bournemouth.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was not injured when he was involved in a collision with a dump truck in Atlanta, a team official confirmed.
The Atlanta Police Department confirmed to ESPN that the collision occurred Thursday but neither party wanted to fill out a police report.
It was not clear which party caused the accident.
Newton, according to TMZ Sports, was driving a black Ferrari F12 that is valued at more than $300,000.
The 2015 NFL MVP, who is from Atlanta, in December 2014 suffered a fractured bone in his back when his truck overturned after being struck by another vehicle near Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Newton spent the night in a hospital after that accident and missed one game.
On Wednesday, Liverpool’s weakest links were indiscernible from its high-flying stars.
The Reds stunned Manchester City 3-0 at Anfield in the Champions League quarter-final first leg, and amid the goal-scoring exploits of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah were stellar performances from Jurgen Klopp’s supporting cast.
Related: Early blitz hands Liverpool commanding lead over City
Trent Alexander-Arnold
There’s a reason that Klopp made a beeline for Trent Alexander-Arnold at the final whistle. The local boy – who’s just 19 years old – looked like a melange of Cafu and Javier Zanetti against City, and for a player who’s occasionally received criticism for positional awareness, Alexander-Arnold was class. The England youth international repeatedly snuffed out Leroy Sane’s probing attacks, making four tackles, seven interceptions, and 10 clearances. Anfield has a new hero.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Forget the redundant comparisons to his time at Arsenal, as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is now playing the most inspired football of his career. So, when he latched onto a rocket of a pass from James Milner to beat a helpless Ederson from distance, it was deserved. Tasked with filling out a three-man midfield alongside Milner and Jordan Henderson, The Ox was stunning, completing 90 percent of his passes and four dribbles going forward, with three tackles, two successful aerial duels, and three key interceptions in a effective two-way role.
Related – Watch: Liverpool stuns Manchester City with 30-minute trio
James Milner
Here’s a list of the last three players to record seven or more assists in a Champions League campaign: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar, James Milner. Thrusted into the starting XI, perhaps because Gini Wijnaldum was quite ordinary on the weekend, or perhaps because Milner’s near-robotic efficiency is the staple of a successful European competitor, the 32-year-old was businesslike in assisting Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal while throwing in five tackles, four clearances, and three interceptions. Decent outing, that.
Andrew Robertson
What a pleasant surprise Andrew Robertson has been. Lured to Anfield in the summer from Hull City for a modest £8-million fee, the Scot has been one of the Premier League’s best full-backs, and on Wednesday, his form carried over to the Champions League. A veritable threat going forward with a penchant for an early pinpoint cross, Robertson, 24, negated Ilkay Gundogan and combined well with Milner while making four tackles and eight clearances for good measure. Manchester City offered nothing in wide positions, and Robertson and companion Alexander-Arnold deserve heaps of praise.
The Patriots are signing former Bills wide receiver Jordan Matthews to a one-year deal, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
It’s a boost to a New England receiving corps that lost Brandin Cooks to a trade this week and Danny Amendola to free agency.
Matthews, 25, was limited to 10 games for the Bills this past season after being acquired in an August trade from the Philadelphia Eagles.
He suffered a chip fracture in his sternum in his first practice of training camp for Buffalo, and later fractured his thumb in Week 4, missing one game. He also missed one game in November because of a knee injury that later resulted in him being put on injured reserve.
In an Instagram post Dec. 14, Matthews announced he had surgery on his left knee and right ankle.
Matthews finished the 2017 season with a career-low 25 catches for 282 yards and a touchdown.
In three seasons with Philadelphia, Matthews caught 225 passes for 2,673 yards and 19 touchdowns.
