Dream of his presence, Liverpool wants Salah for the final at Wembley

Liverpool had to wait the best part of three weeks before it was scheduled to play a Premier League game again, returning with a resounding 4-0 victory over Bournemouth. Now, it has another delay, this time of 10 days. In the meantime, the Reds will hope to keep alive their push for all the possible trophies this season. Every competition that Liverpool entered at the beginning of the campaign is still there for the winning as things stand.

Very low blow by Jurgen Klopp before the match against Bournemouth

At the weekend, Liverpool will host Norwich City in the FA Cup fourth round. But before that, midweek is the return leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final with Liverpool having a 2-1 lead to defend at Craven Cottage. If Liverpool progresses, it will face either Middlesbrough or Chelsea. The second leg of that tie is on Tuesday, with the Championship side having won the first leg 1-0 thanks to a goal from Liverpool-linked Hayden Hackney.

And ahead of the match, Middlesbrough defender Lukas Engel has been speaking about his wish for the rest of the competition. He wants Michael Carrick's side to get to the Wembley final where he would be keen to take on Mohamed Salah. "He is a huge star," Engel told Danish magazine Tipsbladet ahead of the second leg of the semi-final. "One of the best in recent times in the Premier League. It will be a tough task, and it will be one of the cool challenges."

'Is it a task you look forward to, or do you also fear it a bit?' the 25-year-old was then asked. "Haha, I think it's a bit of a mix," Engel continued. "Most of all, it's a player you would look forward to facing. It's also a player you would look forward to measuring yourself against. "It's a balance between having respect for it, but at the same time, trusting in your own abilities. I'm also a good player, and I can compete at that level. It's exactly what you dream of when you grow up. It will be a cool challenge."

After leaving Arabia, Jordan Henderson's message to Mohamed Salah

For the last ticket to Wembley

By the time Liverpool kicks off against Fulham on Wednesday, the two sides will know who the winner will face in the final, which will take place on February 25. Salah will not be playing against the Cottagers because he is at AFCON and is injured. His agent has confirmed that the setback is worse than first thought and will keep him out for three to four weeks but he should still be able to be involved to take on Engels if Liverpool vs Middlesbrough is to be the showpiece event.