Salah leads all scorers in the Premier League this season with 16 goals, including one in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Sunday, his last match before leaving for west Africa. The 27-year-old was an unused substitute in three Premier League matches during December before coming off the bench for a cameo appearance against Brentford. Unlike most Cameroon-bound teams, Egypt will rely heavily on home-based stars, choosing 19 and only six based abroad, including Salah and Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny. He succeeded Frenchman Hubert Velud, who paid the price for winless World Cup and Arab Cup group campaigns. Salah-less Egypt hammered Sudan 5-0 in the Arab Cup while the chances of repeating a 4-0 whipping of Nigeria in 1963 are wafer thin.

Source: Daily Nation January 04, 2022 02:45 UTC