Mane and Salah have the chance to achieve something big, says Liverpool boss Klopp

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has said his players Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have the chance to achieve something big at the Africa Cup of Nations this week.

Mane and Salah – both strikers for Liverpool in England – are into the Nations Cup final with their respective teams.

Mane has inspired Senegal to a second consecutive final, with three goals and two assists, while Salah has equally done well to captain Egypt to the final. The Pharaohs edged Cameroon 3-1 on penalties in the semifinals on Thursday, while Senegal beat Burkina Faso 3-1 within regulation time to advance.

“We’ve followed it pretty closely. It is a great achievement,” Klopp said in a presser ahead of Liverpool’s FA Cup fourth round meeting with Cardiff City.

“It [the final] will be exciting on Sunday. One will be really happy after, the other much less so. They both have the chance to achieve something big.”

Both nations overcame slow starts to reach the final. Senegal scored one goal in the group stages, but peaked just in time for knockout stage action, while Egypt bounced back from a loss to Nigeria in their opening game to go all the way.

“All the experience the boys get in this helps us. It’s impressive to see. It’s important you get through these things. It’s difficult to get that far. The pressure on their shoulders was massive. We will watch it definitely.”

Salah and his teammates will be seeking to claim their country’s eight Nations Cup title, while Mane and Senegal are aiming for their first.

The Africa Cup of Nations final is live at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon, on Sunday from 8:00pm local time.