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Joleon Lescott on Mohamed Salah’s mini-goal drought ahead of Man City clash

Joleon Lescott has given his take on Mohamed Salah’s mini-goal drought ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League clash against Manchester City on the road on Sunday.

The Egypt international has had another wonderful campaign for the Merseyside giants, bagging 28 goals and 10 assists from 38 appearances across all competitions.

However, the attacker has failed to score or assist in each of his previous three games. He struggled to make a mark against Benfica in midweek, and was substituted at the hour mark.

Salah recently saw Egypt miss out on qualifying for the World Cup on penalties to Senegal. He missed the opening spotkick in the shoot-out as Senegal prevailed 3-1.

In the same game, Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane scored the winning penalty for Senegal, an exact repeat of the African Cup of Nations final at the start of February.

Salah got over the disappointment with a return to scoring ways for the Reds, and former City star Lescott believes he can put his current troubles behind him against City.

Speaking to LiveScore, Lescott said: “It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Mohamed Salah back on the goal trail after drawing blanks in his last three outings.”

“What Jurgen Klopp said about him needing a bit of time to settle after that tough stint away with Egypt is an interesting though, given how close the German boss is to his players.


“I don’t doubt that defeat has had an impact on Salah. There was a lot of pressure on his shoulders and these things can take time to recover from.

“If there was ever an occasion for him to put those troubles behind him though, it’d be this game.”

Salah is unlikely to be dropped regardless of his three-match scoring drought, and the same can be said for Sadio Mane. The duo are assured starters in the front three.

However, Klopp has a selection headache on his hands. He may have to choose between Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino for the final spot in the Reds’ attack.

Earlier this campaign, Jota would have been the go-to choice with Firmino’s injury troubles, but Diaz has been a revelation for the Reds since his mid-season arrival.

The Colombia international was instrumental in the 3-1 win over Benfica in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final in midweek with a goal and an assist.

His performance could be rewarded with a starting berth at the Etihad Stadium. Mane may lead the line once again with Diaz being a natural from the left-wing position.

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