Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has another personal milestone in his sights ahead of Thursday's fixture against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Premier League leaders head into the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final with the North Londoners trailing by a one-goal deficit.
Whoever prevails from the clash at Anfield will go on to meet Newcastle United in the final after the Magpies posted a 4-0 aggregate success over Arsenal.
With a final at stake and a FA Cup fourth round date at Plymouth Argyle on Sunday, it is highly likely that Arne Slot will select his strongest possible side.
That would involve Salah making just his second EFL Cup start of the campaign, his other coming in the first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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What Salah feat is on the line?
In his previous 22 games against Spurs, the 32-year-old has contributed 14 goals and four assists in a variety of competitions.
Should Salah score twice on Thursday evening, it would equal the most that he has netted versus a single opponent, that being Manchester United with 16 strikes.
That has been achieved in five matches fewer than appearances against Spurs, while Salah has lost just four times to Liverpool's next opponents in the colours of Basel, Fiorentina, Chelsea and Liverpool.
After a three-game streak without a goal, Salah has rediscovered his scoring boots with four goals coming from his last three outings.
Salah now has an incredible 25 goals and 17 assists from 31 starts and two substitute appearances since the arrival of Slot in the summer.
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Salah's poor EFL Cup record
While he may have put together legendary figures in the likes of the Premier League and Champions League, Salah's return in the EFL Cup is at the opposite end of the spectrum.
Just three goals and one assist have come in 11 appearances, while Salah has never scored more than once in a single EFL Cup campaign.
That average return has been compiled across 694 minutes of football, with two of his goals coming against West Ham United.
Darren Plant
