A European front and an old friend: what awaits Salah in Trabzon?

Trabzonspor finished last season third in the Turkish Süper Lig, racking up 69 points from 20 wins, 9 draws and 5 defeats. They scored 61 goals and conceded 39.

They also lifted the Turkish Cup for the tenth time in their history, beating Konyaspor 2-1 in the final. Nigerian striker Paul Onuachu grabbed both goals.

That success handed Trabzonspor a direct spot in the play-off round, the qualifier for the Europa League league phase. Should they fall short, they drop into the Europa Conference League.

The draw pitted them against the winner of Hungary's Ferencváros and Poland's Górnik Zabrze. Trabzonspor host the first leg on 20 August before travelling for the return on 27 August.

The team's first official match of the new season comes on Saturday 15 August, away to Kasımpaşa in the Turkish league, five days before their European fixture.

Trabzonspor become the sixth European club of Salah's career, following Basel of Switzerland, Fiorentina and Roma of Italy, and Chelsea and Liverpool of England. He turned out for Al Mokawloon Al Arab in Egypt before his move to the old continent.

Fatih Tekke's Turkish side leans on a core of seasoned campaigners. Nigerian striker Paul Onuachu leads the line, backed by goalkeeper André Onana, in his second season on loan from Manchester United, Montenegrin defender Stefan Savić and Albanian winger Ernest Muçi.

Salah knows Savić well. The pair lined up together for Fiorentina in 2015, during the Egyptian's loan spell from Chelsea.

Familiar faces don't stop there. Salah will also share a pitch with Cameroonian goalkeeper André Onana, an opponent he has troubled before in the Premier League. In four meetings between Liverpool and Manchester United, he has beaten Onana three times.