Liverpool Ready to Face Newcastle as Slot Backs Salah for Ballon d’Or

Liverpool aims to strengthen its lead and move closer to the title dream as it hosts Newcastle in one of five matches today in the 27th round of the English Premier League.

Arsenal (second) faces Nottingham Forest, Manchester City takes on a tough challenge against Tottenham, Manchester United plays against Ipswich, and Everton meets Brentford.

Although the title race is not yet decided, many English football analysts believe Liverpool has already placed one foot on the podium, having extended its lead over Arsenal to 11 points.

Following Liverpool’s win over Manchester City and Arsenal’s home defeat to West Ham in recent rounds, several pundits and former stars claim the title race is effectively over. With Liverpool losing only once this season—against Nottingham Forest at home in September—it is highly unlikely that the Reds will squander an 11-point lead with just 11 games remaining, seven of which will be played at Anfield.

Liverpool is aiming to end the season with multiple trophies. The team has already reached the League Cup final against Newcastle and the Champions League Round of 16, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain next week.

With Mohamed Salah’s outstanding performances, Liverpool’s Dutch manager Arne Slot believes the Egyptian forward’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or would be “much higher” if the team secures silverware this season.

The 32-year-old striker has a strong shot at winning football’s most prestigious individual award, thanks to his incredible form this season. Salah, whose contract beyond this season remains unsigned, has scored 30 goals and provided 21 assists in all competitions.

Speaking ahead of the Newcastle clash, Slot said: “Despite Salah’s amazing stats, he needs to win trophies with Liverpool to enhance his chances of claiming the Ballon d’Or for the first time in his career.”

He added: “It’s great that Salah is being mentioned in the conversation because that means he’s performing well, and it also means we as a team are doing well. But for him to stay in the conversation, he must maintain this level of performance for another seven or eight months. Generally, the Ballon d’Or winner needs to win something too, so it’s a big challenge for both us and him.”

No African player has won the Ballon d’Or since Liberia’s George Weah in 1995, and no Liverpool player has claimed it since Michael Owen in 2001. Since then, only two players from English clubs have won the award.