Mohamed Salah targets semi-final clash against ex-Liverpool star

As we head into the final round of the Africa Cup of Nations, we could be set for a meeting of two of the greatest African players of all time.

Senegal were the first team to book their place in the semi-final, having beaten Mali earlier this week. They will take on the winner of reigning champions Ivory Coast and Mohamed Salah’s Egypt. If Egypt advance, Salah will be reunited with his former Liverpool teammate Sadio Mané.

Both aged 33, Salah and Mane are in the latter stages of their illustrious careers. Both were a part of an all-conquering Liverpool team, winning the Premier League and Champions League under Jurgen Klopp. Mane has since added a Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich, while Salah has won a second domestic title with the Reds.

However there is a disparity in terms of their international achievements. Mane captained Senegal to an Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 2021, scoring the decisive penalty shootout spot kick. Senegal defeated Egypt in the final, meaning that Salah had been denied a first international title by his former Liverpool teammate.

Five years on, Salah is still yet to lift silverware with the Egyptian national team and is running out of time to lead his nation to glory. The next tournament will be held in the summer of 2027, by which point Salah will be turning 35. He will be desperate to win this year’s tournament but has attempted to play down expectations around this talented Egyptian team.

“I don’t think we are favorites,” he said recently. “We have young players, most of them playing back home in Egypt. We are just fighting for our country, then we see where we can go. Everyone here just wants to give their best.”