Mohamed Salah is set for his first Premier League start of 2026 with a trip to Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Liverpool star this week return to the club following the conclusion of the Africa Cup of Nations, and was put straight into the starting line-up for Wednesday’s 3-0 win at Marseille.
Salah played the full 90 minutes in the Champions League win, and is expected to keep his place on the south coast this weekend for his first top-flight start since November 22.
Arne Slot confirmed that the Egypt international was “ready to play” against the Cherries in his pre-match press conference.
There remain question marks over Ibrahima Konate’s involvement, after the defender missed the win in France due to personal reasons.
Joe Gomez deputised in his absence, but Konate is expected to be involved again this weekend.
In midfield, Curtis Jones should come back from the start, as he regularly does in the Premier League, alongside Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai.
The only other concern for head coach Arne Slot is the fitness of Federico Chiesa, and the Dutchman admitted that there was a “50-50” chance that the forward could feature at the Vitality Stadium.
The Italian picked up an issue during training on Tuesday, which meant he was missing from the squad in Marseille despite joining his team-mate s in their warm-up.
“Federico wasn’t able to be on the bench at Marseille,” Slot explained.
“We have to wait and see today. It’s difficult to say if he’s available. It’s 50-50. For the rest, no-one picked up a knock after the game. I expect all the same players to be available again.”
Liverpool predicted XI: Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Ekitike
Doubts: Konate, Chiesa
Injuries: Isak, Bradley, Leoni
Time and date: 5.30pm on Saturday, January 24, 2026
Venue: Vitality Stadium
How to watch: Sky Sports
