Trabzonspor’s staff are hesitating over whether to start Mohamed Salah, the Pharaohs captain, on KuPS’s artificial pitch this Thursday in the Conference League, just days before the Turkish derby against Beşiktaş, according to Foot-Africa.com.
Trabzonspor made Mohamed Salah their marquee signing to drive their continental and domestic ambitions. The Pharaohs captain is indeed on the trip to Finland, where the Turkish club play their first Conference League league-phase match this Thursday, 15 October, against KuPS Kuopio at the Väre Areena, with kick-off set for 18:45 (GMT+2). But his presence on the pitch at kick-off remains, as things stand, merely a possibility.
The 34-year-old Egyptian forward is the subject of strong medical precautions because of the artificial pitch at the Finnish stadium. According to Foot-Africa.com, the coaching staff are considering leaving him on the bench at kick-off in order to protect his physical condition.
Caution linked to the surface
Foot-Africa.com speaks of physical management, not an announced unavailability. Trabzonspor’s medical staff fear joint or muscle repercussions on an artificial surface for a 34-year-old player. Hence the idea, still only an option, of protecting him at kick-off rather than exposing him from the outset.
A packed schedule
The calendar explains this circumspection. The Süper Lig clash with Beşiktaş JK is scheduled for this weekend, a fixture that weighs heavily on the club’s domestic ambitions. Managing him before such a fixture means choosing between their continental and domestic objectives.
The player was indeed named in the expanded squad that travelled to Scandinavia on Wednesday. His presence on the trip does not determine his status at kick-off, and Trabzonspor’s official lineup is not yet known.
The team talk as the final call
According to Foot-Africa.com, the final decision on Salah’s starting place will be made during the pre-match team talk on Thursday afternoon.
For Trabzonspor, this is their first Conference League league-phase match. Starting or managing their captain means choosing between two fixtures: one European and immediate, the other domestic and very close.
Kick-off for KuPS v Trabzonspor is set for 18:45 at the Väre Areena. The official lineup will provide the first concrete answer to this uncertainty.