Manchester City have been accused of a “cover-up” over a bizarre encounter between star goalscorer Erling Haaland and a club mascot.
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According to reports in The Telegraph and The Sun, Haaland allegedly caused a woman working as club mascot “Moonbeam” with a head injury after “playfully hitting her”.
The clash between the Norwegian and the costumed alien-like character supposedly from the planet Blue Moon took place before City’s home game against Southampton on October 26.
City cleared Haaland of any wrongdoing as CCTV footage showed the incident to be only a “gentle touch”, but the university graduate, who wants to be unnamed, did not have her contract renewed and accused the club of a “cover-up” as a result.
She also lodged a complaint with the police about Haaland hitting her while posing for her photo before the match.
She had initially thought, she had been struck by an errant football.
“My head was thudding and I think I was in shock,” she told The Sun. “I later realised he’d come behind me and hit me on the head and then leaned on my head.”
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 3: Manchester City mascot Moonbeam wears a rainbow lace during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad Stadium on December 3, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
City’s first-team doctor advised she go to hospital after claiming she had vomited and was suffering neck and head pain.
“I asked if anyone had spoken to Erling and he said, ‘No, they don’t want to distract him,’” she said. “I was offended because I was the one hurt but I was being asked all the questions.
“I’m sure Erling would have apologised to me if they had given him the chance. But they just wanted to sweep it under the carpet.”
A CT scan at the Salford Royal hospital, showed no signs of damage but notes taken by hospital staff confirmed her symptoms.
A City spokesperson said: “Manchester City refute the complaint that was made in this regard.
“The club fully investigated and found that none of the evidence, including video footage backed up the claim that an injury was sustained in the manner alleged.
“We’re also aware a complaint was made to Greater Manchester Police and no further action was taken by them either.”
Matildas interim coach Tom Sermanni wants the Matildas “performing at the level required” after naming his star-studded squad for two home fixtures against Korea in the wake of the poor showing at the SheBelieves Cup in February.
Injured star Sam Kerr remains sidelined having failed to return for Chelsea in two fixtures across the weekend, but her team did topple fellow Matildas star Mary Fowler’s Manchester City overnight.
Fowler was included in the 23-player squad, with midfielder Clare Wheeler set to make a return to the squad after being absent for the last two international windows due to injury.
Young defenders Courtney Nevin and Jamilla Rankin have both earnt recalls off the back of their recent club form in Europe, with Steph Catley to again wear the captain’s armband.
Mary Fowler has been named in the Matildas squad. Picture: Oli Scarff / AFPSource: AFP
The clashes with Korea in first Newcastle and then Sydney next week loom as crucial in preparation for the 2026 Asian Cup after a failure against rivals Japan in the February tournament in the US.
“This squad selection is about achieving the right balance – reintegrating players returning from injury and rewarding those who have been playing consistently well in clubland. It’s important to create continuity while also bringing in players who have earned their place through strong performances,” Sermanni explained.
Sam Kerr is yet to return for Chelsea. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
“We are fortunate to have a core group of players competing at the highest levels, whether it’s in the UEFA Women’s Champions League or major domestic competitions.
“Every match leading into the Asian Cup is an opportunity to finetune our approach, build cohesion, and ensure we are performing at the level required to take on Asia’s best during next year’s tournament.”
Kerr has not played for the Matildas since 2023 after suffering an ACL injury.
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor confirmed that Kerr would not play for the team leading up to the international break and was unavailable to play for the Matildas.
“We will assess her on a week-by-week basis, and hopefully, after the international break, we will have a clearer understanding of her return,” Bompastor said.
Kerr injured her knee at a Chelsea training camp in January, 2024.
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Tegan Micah, Mackenzie Arnold, Chloe Lincoln
The Matildas have been given a reality check just over 12-months out from the Asian Cup on home soil with their defending in a 4-0 defeat to Japan at the SheBelieves Cup labelled “un-Australian” by interim coach Tom Sermanni.
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The gulf in class between the two sides in Houston could not have been more evident as Australia succumbed to its largest ever losing margin to its biggest regional rival.
If they’re to lift the Asian Cup next year then improvement in every facet of the game will be needed. This performance will either prove to be just a bad day at the office or an almighty warning sign.
The only positive from a dire outing is that the flaws have been ruthlessly exposed now when there’s still more than enough time to turn things around.
It was tough watching for interim coach Tom Sermanni.
This was the seventh match of his third stint in charge of the national side and it ended with the biggest defeat of that period.
The 70-year-old has a unique way of delivering bad news in a polite way, but even his assessment of the performance against Japan landed like a sledgehammer.
There are few things that hit home more than being labelled “un-Australian,” but there could be no other assessment of the Matildas effort without the ball in his 145th match at the helm of the Matildas.
“We want to be a team that is hard to beat and to be honest today, we really gave up some soft goals,” Sermanni said.
“I just felt some of the goals that we gave up were very poor, and that’s kind of un-Australian.”
The Matildas were dealt a reality check.Source: AFP
A CLASH OF STYLES
The opening five minutes of the match told the story of the entire game.
Japan retained possession with poise, patience and a huge dose of technical skill. The Matildas, in contrast, routinely turned the ball over on the back of a relentless and organised Japan press.
It was 2-0 at half-time but could’ve easily have been more and Japan’s third goal in the 52nd minute came off the back of a free-flowing 14-pass move that culminated with Maika Hamano being able to almost walk the ball into the back of the net.
“Sometimes you just have to sit back say ‘you know what, we were just played off the field today’ and that’s what we were,” Sermanni said.
“They were quicker to every ball, they kept possession fantastically; when we tried to press, they broke out of the press, when we sat back they managed to play through us so sometimes you have one of those games.
“I’d like to give you X, Y and Z as to why it happened, but in reality, they were just very, very good today and we were a bit off.”
Strangely, the Matildas were second best when it came to aerial challenges as well.
Japan’s fourth goal, which came via a Moeka Minami header, was one of many duels Australia lost in the air. It was uncharacteristic to say the least. They’re moments that even on a bad day the Matildas are usually in control of.
“I just felt some of the goals that we gave up were very poor,” was Sermanni’s assessment.
Physicality and intensity are the fallbacks when tactically things aren’t going to plan for Australia, but those attributes are only able to be applied when you can get near your opponent. That was something that proved out of reach.
The Matildas gameplan seemed to revolve around trying to win possession off long balls and playing off the back of that higher up the pitch and out of danger.
Japan produced a masterclass that was in complete contrast.
Their technical ability allowed them to keep the ball for long periods of time, shifting the Matildas defensive formation around until an opening appeared which they exposed with efficiency.
Sermanni, when asked where it all went wrong, didn’t try to deflect or make excuses.
“We were outplayed football wise, we were outplayed physically, we were outplayed, I think, mentally and outplayed in our decision making.”
HOUSTON, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 20: Holly McNamara controls the ball against Yui Hasegawa.Source: AFP
ONE SHOT FOR THE MATCH
The statistical summation of the game doesn’t make for pretty reading for Australia.
The lone shot at goal came in the 87th minute and off the boot of left back Charli Grant, who was a second-half substitute for captain Steph Catley.
The attempt cannoned into the crossbar, but as spectacular as it would’ve been had it nestled into the back of the net, it still would’ve been little more than a consolation goal.
Grant’s effort came on the end of a nine pass move that followed a near miss-kick from Australia goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold that offered Japan the chance to make it 5-0.
It was a rare moment of cohesion from a side that looked largely disjointed.
Japan finished with 18 shots and 8 on target.
MARY FOWLER
Fowler is one of the most technically gifted players in the Australian set-up but finding ways to get her into the game in green and gold has been problematic.
She came into this tournament with three goals and five assists from her last four games for club side Manchester City. It gave her the honour of being the first player in the history of the Women’s Super League to record at least two goal involvements in four straight matches.
This loss doesn’t fall on Fowler’s shoulders by any stretch, but the question of how to ensure she can have the most impact on matches remains unsolved.
The 22-year-old was able to get on the ball more in the second half, but a lack of possession from Australia more generally, hindered her ability to hurt Japan.
A fully firing Fowler isn’t the answer to all of Australia’s problems, but it certainly is part of the jigsaw.
THE SELECTION TABLE
Sermanni named a full-strength side to face Japan.
If this was the Asian Cup final then the team the Matildas would put out would be almost the same.
There’d be a lineball call on whether Sharn Freier, Kaitlyn Torpey or Tameka Yallop started on the left, but apart from that the starting eleven would be identical if everyone was fit and available for selection.
A performance that led to a defeat like this with an experimental side would be understandable.
This result against Australia’s best possible side is problematic.
“It was a pretty huge wake-up call I think,” Sermanni said.
City sliced and diced by Mbappe hattrick | 02:18
THE NEW KIT
On a day when Football Australia launched its new kit there was a frustrating sense of familiarity to the Matildas’ struggles in possession against a highly technical opponent.
That had nothing to do with the strip of course.
The jersey has been met with mixed reviews online, but Australian football fans might just find it grows on them.
Some kits look better on the field with shorts and socks included than hanging on the rack at your local retail outlet.
This one has the feel of being a collector’s item in 20-years-time, similar to the jersey worn by the Socceroos between 1990 and 1993 which is sought after right now.
Give it time.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Matildas have just three days to learn and move on from this result before running into tournament hosts America in Glendale, Arizona on Monday morning (AEDT).
Sermanni, who is holding the fort while Football Australia continues its search for Tony Gustavsson’s full-time replacement, has his work cut out for him.
“As a professional you need to bounce back after bad results and this will be a good test and probably a benchmark for the team to see if we’re able to do that in the next two games,” he said.
As affable as the interim is, he has left his players in no doubt as to what is now required.
Under-fire Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou defended his injury-hit squad after stinging criticism for their meek League Cup semi-final exit to Liverpool.
Former Spurs midfielder Jamie Redknapp claimed he had never seen a side “in my lifetime go down with less of a fight”.
Defeat ramped up the pressure on Postecoglou, whose future is uncertain with Tottenham languishing in 14th in the Premier League.
The Australian promised earlier in the campaign to maintain his record of winning a trophy in his second season at multiple clubs.
However, Spurs have not lifted any silverware since 2008.
Next up they face a tough trip to Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round.
“I get the pile-on at the moment, it’s really easy for people to stick their boots in and question the players but I don’t question,” said Postecoglou.
“We were disappointed last night didn’t go the way we wanted and we didn’t perform at the levels – but that doesn’t define this group of players in my eyes.
“We’ll go out there on Sunday and put out more of a performance that reflects where we’re at. I have a great deal of belief in these players and what they’re going through and how they’re dealing with it.”
New footage emerges from Kerr arrest | 01:55
Postecoglou’s mitigation for a dreadful run of results has been a lengthy injury list that has deprived him of a number of key players.
Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke were among those to miss the defeat to Liverpool, while Richarlison hobbled off in the first half at Anfield.
Postecoglou confirmed that none of those will return for the tie at Villa Park, but is hopeful the injury situation will improve for their next Premier League game against Manchester United in nine days’ time.
“Every time I’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s usually been an oncoming train,” added Postecoglou.
“We’re still hopeful we’ll get two or three back for the Manchester United game.
“We’ve got two full weeks of training and we should get the majority of these players back with a bit of luck, providing we don’t lose anyone else.”
Villa could unleash new signings Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio for their debuts on Sunday after securing loan moves from United and Paris Saint-Germain respectively in the final days of the transfer window.
Spain star Jenni Hermoso on Monday told the trial of disgraced ex-football chief Luis Rubiales that the forced kiss he gave her in 2023 “shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting”.
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Prosecutors are seeking two and a half years in prison against Rubiales for sexual assault and coercion after his kiss on Hermoso following the 2023 Women’s World Cup final sparked global outrage.
Rubiales has called the kiss an innocuous “peck between friends celebrating” and denied any coercion.
“I felt it was totally out of place and I then realised my boss was kissing me, and this shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting,” Hermoso told the court on the opening day of the trial.
“A kiss on the lips is only given when I decide so,” she added.
The scandal that rocked Spanish football and wrecked Rubiales’ career came moments after Hermoso and her teammates had clinched World Cup glory by beating England in the final in Sydney.
Premier League: Spurs win, City smashed | 02:45
“As a woman I felt disrespected. It was a moment that stained one of the happiest days of my life,” Hermoso said.
“For me it is very important to say that at no point did I seek that act, let alone expect it.”
The trial at the National Court in San Fernando de Henares near Madrid is scheduled to run until February 19.
Chelsea and Australia striker Sam Kerr called a British police officer “stupid and white” during an incident at a police station, a jury was told on Monday.
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Kerr, 31, is on trial charged with causing racially aggravated harassment to the officer during an incident in London in the early hours of January 30, 2023.
It is alleged that Kerr and her partner, fellow footballer Kristie Mewis, had been out drinking when they were driven to the police station in southwest London by a taxi driver.
The driver complained the passengers refused to pay clean-up costs after one of them vomited, and that one of them smashed the vehicle’s rear window.
At the police station, Kerr is alleged to have become “abusive and insulting” towards police constable Stephen Lovell.
Sam Kerr (C) reacts as she arrives at Kingston Crown Court in south London.Source: AFP
Footage from Lovell’s body camera was played to a jury sitting at Kingston Crown Court on Monday, in which Kerr tells Lovell: “Honestly, you guys are f***ing stupid and white.
“I’m f***ing over this s***. This is the world’s f***ing problem.”
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones told the jury: “The defendant’s comments towards PC Lovell left him shocked, upset, and humiliated.
“He took offence to the comments that Ms Kerr made about his race because you may think that his being a white man really had nothing to do with anything.”
The prosecutor added: “Ms Kerr denied that she intended to cause PC Lovell harassment, alarm or distress.
“She said ‘I was just very angry at how I felt.’ She described the entire situation as distressing and ‘a heated moment’.
“Ms Kerr said that both herself and Ms Mewis were crying at the time.”
Sam Kerr during her exchange with a British police officer, as seen from bodycam footage.Source: Supplied
Kerr, who is of mixed race, last year pleaded not guilty to the offence.
Grace Forbes, defending, told jurors on Monday: “Nobody disputes the words that were said. But simple words, even words like these, do not make you guilty of a criminal offence.”
She added: “The words were a comment, however poorly expressed, about positions of power, about privilege, and how those things might colour perception.”
Emlyn Jones presented a timeline of the alleged events, telling the court Kerr said she and Mewis believed they were being kidnapped by the driver, who refused to let them out after she was sick in the vehicle.
The taxi driver first called police to lodge a complaint that a woman in his vehicle was attempting to smash a window.
The driver was then advised by an emergency services phone operator to drive to Twickenham Police Station.
Sam Kerr’s criminal trial gets underway | 01:34
PC Lovell and another officer were the first police to attend the scene after the taxi driver parked behind their marked police vehicle and sounded the car’s horn to get the officers’ attention.
Emlyn Jones said the officers at the scene “noticed smashed glass in the road and saw that a taxi was parked outside the police station”.
He went on to allege: “The officers saw Ms Kerr crawling out of the broken rear window of the taxi.
“They felt that the taxi driver was kidnapping them and so they broke the rear window in order to escape and raise the alarm.”
Kerr made her debut for current Women’s Super League champions Chelsea in 2020. She is currently out of action with a knee injury.
Tottenham has snapped a seven-game Premier League winless run with a 2-0 victory at Brentford that eases pressure on Ange Postecoglou, who chose to depart from ‘Angeball’ tactics for the crucial win.
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Spurs banished fears of being dragged into a relegation battle and eased the pressure on Postecoglou’s job thanks to Vitaly Janelt’s own goal and a late Pape Sarr strike to move 10 points clear of the bottom three.
The Bees were left to rue a number of missed chances against an injury-ravaged Tottenham defence.
Yoane Wissa’s header came off the bar as Brentford pushed for an equaliser. But Spurs picked them off on the counter-attack when Pape Sarr prodded through Valdimarsson’s legs from Son’s pass.
Victory lifts Tottenham to 14th and 10 points clear of the relegation zone.
The win came with Postecoglou ditching his trademark ‘Angeball’ style with the Australian finally adopting a more defensive approach for his injury-ravaged, and fatigued squad.
“Difficult place to come, difficult place to win at and difficult place to keep them out,” Postecoglou said.
“The lads were brilliant. Our second goal was outstanding and we were always a threat when we had it.”
Speaking about what happened to Angeball, he added: “They’re human beings, not robots.
“People want to dismiss it. They want to talk about excuses but that’s the reality. I know the reality. These guys are giving everything.
Relief for Ange but more work ahead | 01:09
“We knew we couldn’t go out there and dominate. Brentford had a week to prepare. We had 50-something hours. With the same group of players. With that context, the performance was outstanding.”
Tottenham can now concentrate on a huge week in the domestic cup competitions. They travel to Liverpool defending a 1-0 lead in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final on Thursday, before a visit to Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round.
The club announced the signing of centre-back Kevin Danso from Lens before Sunday’s game and are expected to make further additions on the final day of the transfer window.
“It’s the same group of players who have to play Thursday and Sunday and you can’t get away from the fact that playing Thursday and Sunday consistently without being able to rotate takes a toll,” said Postecoglou.
“The Premier League is relentless and you’re meeting teams who’ve had seven days’ break and we’ve had 48 hours.
“From that perspective the pleasing thing is that we had Micky (Van de Ven) back on Thursday, Djed (Spence) in today and we’ve signed Kevin. The group now are getting encouragement and energy from getting some help and I have no doubt they’ll assist us in addressing our position in the league.”
Fowler scores double in City loss | 00:14
Spurs hijacked a deal Wolves had in place to sign Danso, who joins initially on loan with an obligation to buy at the end of the season for 25 million euros (£21 million, $42 million).
Postecoglou’s first-choice centre-backs Van de Ven and Cristian Romero have missed a large part of the season, while their backup Radu Dragusin is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious knee injury.
Chelsea’s Axel Disasi is also reportedly on the verge of a move across London before Monday’s transfer deadline.
“It’s great to get Kevin in, we desperately needed a defender,” added Postecoglou.
“Getting him is great because he’s a great fit for us. He’s had a strong career and he’s at an age now (26) where he wants to kick on and he has all the attributes we look for. We’re really pleased and it will be a lift for the whole group.”
There has been a furious reaction to the proposed revision of the European Super League format.
The new proposal features four divisions for a 96-club European Super League, which would be inspired by the European Union flag — Star, Gold, Blue and Union.
Promoter A22 Sports unveiled its format for a “Unify League” and said it had written to FIFA and UEFA to ask for official endorsement, as The Sun reports.
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The firm’s previous plan for a closed 20-team league folded in April 2021 amid a fierce fan backlash.
But A22 bosses believe UEFA must endorse its proposal following a December 2023 European Court of Justice ruling that previous tactics used to block a Super League were contrary to EU law.
An A22 spokesperson confirmed: “The names of the leagues are named after the EU Flag/Flag of the Council of Europe.
“The Unify proposal is aligned with the principles of the European Union and compliant with its laws.
“It is open to all clubs from across the 55 countries.”
Unlike the original format, which was set to feature the continent’s most powerful and wealthy clubs, teams would earn a place on merit and not be guaranteed entry.
Games would be streamed free on a direct-to-fan Unify platform, with viewers likely to pay a subscription to go ad-free.
A senior UEFA figure called the plan “bulls**t” and “a Christmas pantomime”.
Barcelona has been linked to the new competition. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Tim Payton, from the Arsenal Supporters Trust, added: “We utterly condemn these proposals and are against any breakaway or super leagues.”
He urged the football regulator currently being set up by the UK government to block the proposal.
Top Unify League division Star would involve 16 clubs in two pools of eight.
Second league Gold would be the same.
The remaining 64 teams would be in Blue and Union divisions.
Each of those would be split into four pools of eight.
A women’s competition would also run alongside.
Real Madrid’s Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti. (Photo by Mahmud HAMS / AFP)Source: AFP
Madrid-based A22 is backed by Real Madrid, its chief Florentino Perez, and Barcelona.
A22 CEO Bernd Reichart said the Unify League aimed to address challenges such as increased TV subscription costs, an overloaded calendar, insufficient investment in women’s football, and dissatisfaction with the format and governance of current competitions.
He cited the ECJ 2023 ruling that states “any competition where qualification is inclusive and meritocratic, and which complies with the overall match calendar can be officially established”.
Mr Reichart said A22 had consulted with clubs, leagues and other groups.
But Arsenal fan Payton said: “I don’t believe they’ve had any meaningful discussions with supporter groups.
Arsenal supporters are also against the new league. (Photo by Adrian Dennis/AFP)Source: AFP
“We have pushed Arsenal in our meetings with them since the Super League — and they always tell us they are committed to the existing structures and competitive balance.
“We would urge the club to condemn and ignore moves like this.
“It is a breakaway and being proposed by people outside the FA, Premier League and UEFA structure.
“They are badging it up as being a bit more competitive but it’s still a breakaway and propagated by Real Madrid and Barcelona.”
Manchester United fan and football writer Andy Mitten added: “I don’t think this is a goer and it seems to be being pushed by Real Madrid.
“I am not in favour.”
This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission
NRL champion Nathan Cleary has opened up on how his long-distance relationship with Matildas superstar Mary Fowler works, saying that he’d love to start a family with her one day.
Given that Fowler plays with Manchester City and he with Penrith, Cleary knew that he was getting into a complicated situation.
“It’s been tough, it’s definitely not something that I ever thought I’d do. I think it sort of helped for us that as soon as we met each other, and we sort of got talking, we knew it was going to lead down to that path and if we wanted to do it, it was going to be long distance,” Cleary said on the Keegan and Company podcast, with former NRL player Keegan Hipgrave; though he said having a fellow elite sportsperson as a partner meant they understood each other’s needs.
“She definitely understands … people look at us and think that we are talking about our sport all the time but sometimes it’s just nice to just sit there as two human beings and enjoy each other’s company and talk about something other than sport.
“I think probably for both of us, a lot of people want to talk about sport all the time and I think when we’re together, we just enjoy each other’s company but it’s always that support and trust that if something is going wrong we can talk to each other about it and sort of bounce ideas off each other, it’s been really nice.”
Nathan Cleary and Mary Fowler on a European holiday.Source: Instagram
Cleary said he felt Fowler’s absence most after games, though they made up for it with strong communication.
“Sometimes you just get home and you want a little cuddle but I think it’s helped us in a way to connect on more than just (on) a physical level and actually have genuine conversations,” he said.
“We just navigate around it and when we do see each other, it’s the best thing ever. You are really grateful for those moments we get to spend together. We’re constantly talking on FaceTime or whatever and we sort of find our way through that.
“Constant communication is what works for us, we make a real emphasis on that. I think just compromise as well, you are not always going to love the same things I don’t think.
“The thing I’ve noticed about having a partner is I just want to make her happy and I want to her feel safe and feel like I’m there for her.”
While both athletes are still young – Cleary is 27 and Fowler 21 – he said that he had thought about starting a family in future.
“It’s obviously tough that we are both pretty stuck into our sport … definitely want to in the future,” he said.
“I’d love for it to be with Mary, I just think she’d be the best mother, but yeah, we’ll see. It’s not a rush at the moment but definitely in the future … post footy, I would love to have a little family of my own.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said speculation over Mohamed Salah’s future at Anfield is fuelling the Egyptian’s fine form ahead of a “special” week for the Reds.
Salah, who has scored 223 goals since joining Liverpool in 2017, is out of contract at the end of the season and expressed his disappointment at not yet receiving an offer of a new deal after netting twice in Sunday’s 3-2 win at Southampton.
The 32-year-old said he was “more out than in” as things stand despite scoring 12 goals and providing 10 assists this season to spearhead a stunning start to Slot’s reign.
Liverpool is in first place in the Champions League ahead of the visit of holders Real Madrid on Wednesday and sit eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.
“I don’t think it distracts Mo at all. Maybe it brings even the best out of him, if you look at his performances until now,” Slot said at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
“I talked to Mo about what I expect from him, like I do with all the other players, and he’s in a good place at the moment.
“The only thing I can say is if I look at my line-ups, Mo is more in than out.” Salah is one of three Liverpool stars out of contract at the end of the season, alongside captain Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been linked with a move to Real.
“Honestly, for us as players, it’s nothing that we can really get involved in. All I can say is, you look at Mo today, you look at Mo yesterday, he’s the ultimate professional,” said Liverpool defender Andy Robertson.
“It goes for all three of them. Mo, Virgil and Trent, who are all in similar positions. Every one of them is so focused on the next game and training and preparing properly. They’ve been leaders this year, that’s the way they’ve done it.”
Tillies back Fowler’s football break | 01:10
A fifth victory in five matches would edge Liverpool closer to securing direct entry to the Champions League last 16 via a top-eight finish.
But they have to overturn a horrible recent record against the Spanish giants, who are unbeaten in the last eight meetings between the clubs, including two Champions League finals in 2018 and 2022.
Struggling Premier League champions Manchester City then visit Anfield on Sunday to give Liverpool the chance to land a telling blow in the title race.
“I think Real Madrid and Manchester City dominated Europe and the league for a few years now, combined with Liverpool, because Liverpool was always up there as well, competing with these two clubs,” added Slot.
“If you are Liverpool, you always play big games, but these two are special because these three clubs have dominated the league in Europe for so many years recently. So that’s a special week to play.” Madrid is more in need of the points after losing two of their opening four games.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men, though, often save their best for when they need it most on the European stage and Slot conceded the 15-time winners have a special aura in this competition.
“If it’s difficult for them, they can still win the game, which is probably one of the reasons, apart from them having so much quality, that they won this tournament a lot,” he said.
