Salah made his Premier League debut for Chelsea against Newcastle following his mid-season move from Basel in 2014. Although Chelsea were 3-0 up when Salah entered the fray, it was not exactly a comfortable experience for the substitute. In fact, all these years later, Salah has never forgotten how he was 'welcomed' to English football by Newcastle.
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"Very intense," he told Optus Sport ahead of facing the Magpies in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. "They just go for everything. I remember the first game I played was against Newcastle. I just got tackled on the sideline like, ‘Boom,’ and I thought, ‘How am I going to survive here? I need to go to the gym'."
Salah has certainly bulked up since then and the forward has become a thorn in Newcastle's side - and plenty of other teams for that matter. Salah has been directly involved in 18 goals in 16 games against Newcastle since joining Liverpool and keeping the Premier League's top scorer quiet at Wembley will be key to the club's hopes of ending a 70-year wait to win a trophy. However, there is a reason why Eddie Howe won't just be focusing on the Egyptian superstar.
"Stopping him is difficult," the Newcastle boss admitted. "We have a plan. Executing that plan will be the key, but it's never about one player.
"Liverpool are an outstanding team with outstanding players. It's always about the team and making sure our structures are right. "
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