"I know this question is important to you. The match will be played on an artificial surface, but all of our players are ready. I cannot say for certain right now whether Salah will play or not. We will see tomorrow.""We have to face not only the opponent, but also the conditions of the pitch. Even Bayern Munich had great difficulty yesterday on a similar surface," said Trabzonspor head coach Thomas Reis, as quoted by Goal.com, at the pre-match press conference ahead of his team's opening UEFA Conference League fixture away to Finnish side KuPS (19.45).##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trabzonspor staff will discuss playing the UEFA Conference League match against KuPS with Mohamed Salah. Salah, the 34 year old legend, does not like playing on artificial turf as it can be a risk concerning injury. A decision will be made after speaking to Salah. — @Fuzulev https://t.co/oPkHfmLImy</p>— Salah Updates (@SalahUpdates) <a href="https://x.com/SalahUpdates/status/2109763922446160105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##The Egyptian icon is beginning to settle well in Turkey and has scored seven goals in nine appearances for Trabzonspor this season, while the eventual appearance tonight at Tammelan Stadion would mark his debut in Europe's third-tier competition.Given Trabzonspor's status as favorites, it would come as little surprise if Mohamed Salah started on the bench and was brought on only if the Turkish side struggled to put the game to bed.##LINKED_NEWS_69366##As for KuPS, this Conference League campaign will be their second consecutive appearance in this competition, and only their second ever. Last season, they reached the knockout stage after finishing 21st in the league phase, before being eliminated by the Polish side Lech Poznan 3-0 on aggregate.This Finnish club will be familiar to the Kenyan public, as Harambee Stars international Collins Sichenje played for them in 2023 while on loan from Swedish club AIK, making 23 appearances.UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 1Thursday19.45: (3.20) Universitatea Craiova (3.20) Getafe (2.35)19.45: (6.00) CSKA Sofia (4.00) Monaco (1.50)19.45: (5.90) Egnatia (4.00) Midtjylland (1.58)19.45: (1.70) Gent (4.00) Aarhus (5.00)19.45: (4.80) Hajduk Split (4.20) Ajax (1.65)19.45: (6.00) KuPS (4.25) Trabzonspor (1.47)19.45: (2.70) Lugano (3.60) Crvena zvezda (2.55)19.45: (1.37) Mjallby (4.90) Inter Escaldes (8.50)19.45: (1.25) Panathinaikos (6.50) Borac Banja Luka (10.5)19.45: (1.95) Riga (3.45) Kairat Almaty (4.00)22.00: (1.37) Atalanta (5.10) Pafos (7.75)22.00: (1.17) Brann (7.50) Lincoln RI (16.0)22.00: (1.03) Brighton (16.5) Kauno Zalgiris (50.0)22.00: (2.45) Copenhagen (3.25) Braga (2.95)22.00: (1.23) Freiburg (6.50) Jablonec (12.0)22.00: (3.00) Hearts (3.50) Nordsjaelland (2.30)22.00: (1.28) St. Truiden (5.30) Iberia 1999 (9.00)22.00: (1.22) Twente (7.00) Thun (11.0)***odds are subject to change***##SOFASCORE_<iframe id="sofa-standings-embed-138316-96529" src="https://widgets.sofascore.com/embed/tournament/138316/season/96529/standings?widgetTitle=UEFA+Conference+League&showCompetitionLogo=true&widgetTheme=light" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="width:100%!important; height:1763px!important;max-width:768px!important;"></iframe><div style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;text-align:left"> Standings provided by <a target="_blank" href="https://sofascore.com/">Sofascore</a> </div>##