Salah targets return to form with Pharaohs

MOHAMED Salah wants to put a disappointing start to his season with Liverpool behind him today and help Egypt beat Djibouti to qualify for the Fifa World Cup 2026.

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A win for the record seven-time African champions over one of the lowest-ranked teams on the continent will give them an unassailable lead over second-placed Burkina Faso in Group A with one match to spare.

A two-time African Footballer of the Year, Salah has lost his spark with the Premier League champions, scoring just three goals in nine appearances in all competitions this season.

Last season, the 33-year-old netted 29 times in 38 league matches to win the Golden Boot award as Liverpool surged to a record-equalling 20th Premier League title.

Salah has fond memories of playing against Djibouti, scoring four goals in a 6-0 Cairo romp in the opening round of World Cup qualifying two years ago.

It does not help Djibouti that they do not have a Fifa-approved stadium, so their ‘home’ match against Egypt will be staged in the Moroccan commercial capital, Casablanca.