Mohamed Salah's record in the Europa League
By Dan Hepburn
Though Liverpool have become accustomed to the Champions League, their star man Mohamed Salah is no stranger to Europe's second-tier competition, the Europa League.
Jurgen Klopp's outfit now have time to reflect and recuperate after finishing 5th in the Premier League and out of the Champions League spots for the first time since the 2014/15 campaign.
Unai Emery - now in charge of high-flying Aston Villa - put the sword to Liverpool in the final of the 2015/16 Europa League final, with Coke's second-half double proving crucial for Sevilla that day.
As they exchange their Tuesday and Wednesday nights for Thursday's, Klopp, who had pledged to make the Europa League "our competition" will look to Salah in particular to prevent a repeat of that torrid night in Basel seven years ago.
FC Basel, 2012/13
Games | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
14 | 2 | 5 |
FC Basel plummeted out of the Champions League after failing to meet their aim of reaching the group stage in 2012/13.
The Egyptian King, in the infant years of his career, made more appearances from the bench than he did as a nailed-on starter in Basel's Europa League campaign but he was a star nonetheless.
Salah scored his first of eventually many goals on the European stage in the quarter-finals as Basel edged past Tottenham on penalties after drawing 4-4 on aggregate scoring.
His scoring exploits did not halt there as his future employers Chelsea were at the hands of a Salah double in west London. Although the Egypt international crashed out of the competition thanks to the Blues, his Europa League showings earned him a rightful move to the English giants a few months later.
Salah helped Basel to their best-ever finish in the competition, performing when it mattered the most and often being the difference-maker.
Fiorentina, 2014/15
Games | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
8 | 1 | 1 |
Wedged in between his other two Europa League campaigns came his least successful one, with just a goal and assist apiece.
12 days after scoring his first goal for the club against Sassuolo, Salah added one to his European CV against, once again, Tottenham. Spurs had become a familiar sight for the tricky winger and a match-up that he flourished in.
Bearing in mind his spell in Fiorentina was merely a loan, Salah enjoyed positivity for the majority of the season and spurred his side into the semi-finals of the Europa League. His influence - goals aside - was undeniable, though his game time was limited on the centre stage.
A theme begins to reoccur with Salah and the Europa League as he helped Fiorentina - very much a surprise package of the 2014/15 Europa League season - reach the semi-finals of the competition for only the third time in the entirety of the club's history.
AS Roma, 2016/17
Games | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
6 | 2 | 1 |
Salah's most recent Europa League campaign came just before his high-profile move to Liverpool, featuring in six games for Roma in 2016/17.
The Italian side endured a torrid campaign in Europe, preventing Salah from showing the footballing world his undeniable talent. Domestically, Roma finished in second place and secured themselves a spot at Europe's top table for the following campaign, but cracked under pressure when vying for European silverware in the same season.
Neither goal amounted for anything in this term, either. Roma's four-goal thumping over West Ham's conquerors in Astra Giurgiu was already wrapped up before Salah's effort came, and he managed to grab his second of the competition in a last 16 defeat to Lyon.