Mohamed Salah could be about to get just what he needs as ex-Liverpool star makes feelings clear

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Mohamed Salah will be coming face to face with his favourite opponent at Anfield on Sunday afternoonMohamed Salah has surely long since lost count of the number of individual records he has bagged during a goal-laden Liverpool career.But there's one landmark Reds fans will cherish more than most - and could now provide the Egyptian with a timely kickstart to a spluttering campaign for both player and club.As Liverpool and Manchester United prepare to lock horns for a 100th Anfield meeting on Sunday, no player has netted more times in matches between the bitter North West rivals than the 16 Salah has notched in just 17 such fixtures.Indeed, the 33-year-old has either assisted or scored 18 of the last 25 goals scored by Liverpool in what remains English football's most celebrated showdown.READ MORE: Virgil van Dijk fires clear message to Liverpool squad and rejects Man United questionREAD MORE: Marc Guehi transfer intention confirmed after Liverpool deadline day collapseSalah, though, is among several Reds players to struggle to reach the heights of last season's dominant Premier League title triumph, with a new-look team having posted a series of unconvincing winning performances during the opening weeks before slumping to three successive defeats going into the recent international break.With only three goals in 10 Liverpool outings this term, factor in the closing months of the previous campaign and Salah has actually scored only five times in his last 21 club games.For perhaps the first time in his Liverpool career, questions are being asked about the forward's contribution, particularly having seen regular right-wing partner Trent Alexander-Arnold depart to Real Madrid and having to adapt to a revamped attack following the summer arrivals of strike duo £125m Alexander Isak and £79m Hugo Ekitike and £116m attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz.But former Liverpool forward Peter Crouch is in no doubt Salah will soon justify his standing as the reigning PFA Player and Footballer of the Year."I don't think he'll be fighting for his place now," said Crouch. "He'll play in the big games, but there's no doubt it's been frustrating - certainly for him."Losing Trent will have been an issue for him.

He might not be the very first name on the team sheet - Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker when fit maybe - but he'd still be third for me."Class is permanent, he's still fit as a fiddle and I think in big games he's still going to turn up."Salah has a habit of saving his best for Liverpool's main rivals in the Premier League. His top-flight record against the established 'big six' - United, neighbours City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur - has seen him score 50 goals and provide 24 assists.He will also be chasing another landmark, with two more Premier League strikes at Anfield taking him to 107 at the stadium and making him the top scorer at any individual venue in the competition, an accolade currently held by Sergio Aguero for his 106 goals at the Etihad.Liverpool haven't lost four successive games in approaching 11 years, and Crouch believes Reds head coach Arne Slot will now be feeling the heat as much as United boss Ruben Amorim."Amorim is under more pressure for his job, but with regards to losing three in a row, if Liverpool lose again, certainly to Manchester United, who are coming in for so much criticism at the moment, then the pressure ramps up," said Crouch, speaking exclusively to Paddy Power."For Liverpool to lose four in a row feels like a travesty.

They're losing games where they aren't battering teams and probably deserve to lose, which is the frustration."Crouch added of Sunday's game: "It's still the biggest fixture. You've got games like Man City vs Arsenal now that are great games, but traditionally this is the big one, and it'll always be the biggest one for me."United will come back eventually - they're too big a club not to - but at the moment they're not quite there."If I'm one of the new (Liverpool) players then I'm looking at getting a goal in this fixture, because the fans will remember it forever.