"With all my respect to the rest, to Riyad Mahrez as well" - Arsenal's Oleksandr Zinchenko names Liverpool star as toughest opponent

Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has named Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah as the toughest opponent he has faced so far in his career. The Ukrainian left-back explained that the Egyptian forward is very difficult to stop when he drifts wide and unleashes his pace against opposition defenses.

Oleksandr Zinchenko has faced Mohamed Salah on several occasions, especially during his time at Manchester City when Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp's men produced some intense clashes in the Premier League.

The Arsenal defender had no doubts picking the African superstar as his toughest opponent when the question was thrown at him on Rio Ferdinand's FIVE YouTube channel.

“I think it’s Salah, I think it’s Salah,” replied the 26-year-old. “With all my respect to the rest, to Riyad [Mahrez] as well because I played against him at Leicester. He’s [Salah] an absolutely explosive and unstoppable winger."

The Ukrainian went on to recall how he struggled to contain the Egyptian winger and had to seek help from his assistant manager during a Community Shield clash between Liverpool and Manchester City back in 2019. He said:

“What Liverpool did so well, especially when [Gini] Wijnaldum was there because Wijnaldum is more like box-to-box. Community Shield game against Liverpool [in 2019], penalties, we won that game. Mikel [Arteta] was still there and I went to the dressing room at half-time and said ‘Mikel, what do I need to do with this?

“‘[Virgil] Van Dijk on the ball, he’s playing on the left side on the right foot, without pressure, he does first touch, Wijnaldum runs behind between me and [Nicolas] Otamendi, I need to protect inside, Salah drops wide, the ball to feet and the distance between me and Salah, 50 meters. Imagine his pace against me, I’m finished. What do I need to do, there was like five balls like this in a row.’

“He said, ‘the only one way is to ask Raz (Sterling) who was playing on the left, to come to drop a bit lower to leave Trent. If you stay with Salah it’s a big gap for Wijnaldum. And when Mo is receiving the ball at his feet and he gets the pace… it’s impossible, impossible,” he added.

When will Liverpool and Arsenal clash in the Premier League this season?

Arsenal players in action during the preseason.

Liverpool and Arsenal are scheduled to face each other for the first time in the 2023-24 Premier League campaign on December 23. The Reds will welcome their rivals to Anfield for that encounter.

The Gunners, in turn, will do the same when Jurgen Klopp's men come to visit them at the Emirates Stadium on February 24, 2024. With both sides having reinforced their respective squads during the summer transfer window, it remains to be seen how they'll fare when the campaign kicks off.