Liverpool – Mohamed Salah outshone Neymar and Kylian Mbappe on the Champions League stage last season, but as Paris Saint-Germain’s star duo head to Anfield on Tuesday seeking to make amends, the Egyptian is struggling to match the heights of his debut campaign at Liverpool.

Salah’s failure to hit top form dates back to his last Champions League appearance four months ago.

Back in May, Salah was on the crest of a wave as his 44-goal campaign had carried Liverpool to the Champions League final and ensured qualification for this season’s competition.

However, he lasted just 30 minutes in Kiev after injuring his shoulder when wrestled to the ground by Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos and the Spanish giants went on to lift the trophy in a 3-1 win.

That started a difficult few months for Salah as he was also robbed of being 100-percent fit for Egypt’s first World Cup in 28 years.

Without their talisman, the Pharaohs were beaten by Uruguay in their opening game and his goals against Russia and Saudi Arabia couldn’t prevent Egypt returning home without a single point.

Salah has also gone to war with the Egyptian federation over the use of his image and the decision to host their base camp in Chechnya.

Egypt’s star player was put in the awkward position of having to pose for photos with Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov, who has been accused of human rights abuses.

That hangover has been felt on the field with Salah scoring just twice in Liverpool’s opening five games of the campaign and missing chances he ruthlessly put away last season.

No one-man team

So far Salah’s slackness hasn’t cost Jurgen Klopp’s men. A summer of shrewd investment to build on the already substantial progress made under the German is already bearing fruit with five straight wins.

“Of course, it’s important that we don’t have only one goalscorer,” Klopp said after an impressive 2-1 win over Tottenham on Saturday, that should have been a far more comprehensive victory if the visitors had taken their chances.

“It’s still early. Five games, fantastic we’ve won all of them, we have improved.”

The 39 million euros ($45 million) Liverpool paid for Salah from Roma was brilliant business not just based on Salah’s production, but the hyper inflation that took place in the market just weeks later when PSG smashed the world transfer record by splurging 222 million euros on Neymar.

A further 180 million was then splashed on beating Europe’s big guns to the signature of Mbappe, who confirmed his status as the rising star of world football in winning the World Cup for France.

Both Neymar and Mbappe will see themselves as heirs to the throne of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the world’s best player.

But it is Salah who is on the shortlist for FIFA’s Best Player award alongside Ronaldo and Croatian midfielder Luka Modric of Real Madrid, after PSG failed to get beyond the last 16 of the Champions League last season.

The limited spotlight offered by Ligue 1 means Europe’s premier club competition is where Neymar and Mbappe need to shine to be in the running for individual awards.

However, a blockbuster clash on a Champions League night at fortress Anfield is also the perfect stage for Salah to demonstrate to the world he is no one-season wonder.

Josh Gordon’s troubled tenure with the Cleveland Browns is coming to an end.

The team announced Saturday night that it intended to release the former Pro Bowl wide receiver on Monday.

The Browns provided no details behind their decision to part ways with Gordon, but a source told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that he broke the team’s “trust” when he reported to the facility with a hamstring issue after being a full participant in practice all week. The source said there were other “mitigating factors” inclusive of current and past incidents.

Multiple league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that they believe the Browns will trade Gordon before Monday, adding that teams already are calling the Browns.

Gordon’s immense talent has been overshadowed by substance abuse that has derailed a promising career. He has been suspended by the NFL for most of the past four seasons because of multiple drug violations, and the Browns have been supportive of him for years as he has tried to turn things around.

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  Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield said “It doesn’t get much higher than that” when asked about Drew Brees’ effusive praise for him. Sizing up Mayfield, the Saints’ QB told reporters Wednesday, “I think he can be a lot better than me.”

With Gordon gone, the Browns’ passing game will rely more heavily on wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Rashard Higgins. Promising rookie Antonio Callaway also could get more looks.

The opening stage of the 2018-19 Champions League season is set, and there is more than one quartet that could be dubbed the Group of Death.

At the bottom of the draw, Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United’s Paul Pogba will return to their former clubs in a group completed by rejuvenated Spanish giants Valencia and Swiss minnows Young Boys.

Last term’s runners-up Liverpool were already dealt difficult assignments in Paris Saint-Germain and Napoli, and were then paired with Red Star Belgrade to round off Group C. The Serbians promise a fiery atmosphere on home soil, and also displayed their spirit in a come-from-behind away-goal victory at Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday to reach the tournament proper.

Internazionale, possibly the toughest opponent in the final pot, were picked alongside Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, and PSV Eindhoven, promising a tantalizing run of 12 matches in Group B.

The first tussles of the group stage will be held on Sept. 18. The other half of opening-round fixtures will be played a day later.

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was a full participant in Friday’s practice, and several teammates expect him to play Sunday at home against the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Roethlisberger missed Wednesday and Thursday practices with a right elbow bruise, and the team listed him as questionable on Friday’s injury report.

“Obviously, him throwing the ball first day back, he was taking it slow and getting back into it, but eventually it’s game day, it’s game time,” wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said. “He’s going to be out there playing with your boys. I think that’s what he’s going to do.”

Coach Mike Tomlin confirmed Roethlisberger practiced but declined to comment on details, deferring to the injury report. Roethlisberger declined comment as he left the locker room.

Backup Josh Dobbs, who took first-team reps Wednesday and Thursday, said he returned to his normal workload in light of Roethlisberger’s participation and has not been told he’s starting. “I will be ready if my number is called,” he said.

Asked if he saw Roethlisberger handing the ball off with his left hand Friday, center Maurkice Pouncey said he’s seen Roethlisberger do all kinds of impressive things over the years.

“He looked really good,” Pouncey said. “No matter if he’s at practice or not, you know how tough he is and the things he plays through. He’s motivated to get back out there.”

Pouncey said he “always” expects Roethlisberger to play unless he takes the field Sunday without him.

Another offensive starter told ESPN he has no doubt that Roethlisberger will play. And Antonio Brown had his unique twist on Roethlisberger toughing out injuries, saying his quarterback is “exceptionalism. He’s not ordinary. He’s extra-ordinary. … He’s not bound by how he feels. He’s not bound by where he comes from. He’s a difference maker.”