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The COVID-19 crisis continues to impact teams at club and international level after a number of high-profile positive tests recently.

Egypt and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is the latest player to test positive after Monaco's French striker Wissam Ben Yedder and Preston North End's Republic of Ireland international and captain Alan Browne.

Salah, 28, was called up for 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification duty against Kenya and Comoros and the Egyptian Football Association have since confirmed his positive test result despite "no symptoms."

The 2017-19 Premier League top scorer's availability for the league clash with Leicester City and the Champions League encounter with Atalanta -- both at Anfield -- is now uncertain.

Jurgen Klopp's men have already lost Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez to long-term injuries and Sadio Mane recently tested positive for COVID-19.

France will be without Ben Yedder in Portugal after the 30-year-old was diagnosed before Les Bleus headed to Lisbon for this weekend's crunch UEFA Nations League clash.

Ben Yedder, who has six Ligue 1 goals to his name at present and is in contention to win the October player of the month award, was due to travel to Lisbon with Didier Deschamps' men after starting the 2-0 friendly loss at home to Finland on Wednesday.

However, the former Sevilla man has now dropped out of the squad and will also be unavailable for the clash with Sweden at Stade de France next Tuesday -- potentially decisive for the outcome of League A Group 3 along with Portugal.

Ireland are also in a similar situation after Browne tested positive for COVID-19 after playing the full 90 minutes in a 3-0 friendly loss to England on Thursday.

The Football Association of Ireland confirmed the news about the midfielder ahead of Sunday's Nations League clash away at Wales with the Irish third in League B Group 4 and unable to finish higher with two matches remaining -- one against bottom nation Bulgaria with both winless.

Montpellier's Junior Sambia recently issued a reminder as to why football players cannot take COVID-19 lightly after he was put in intensive care after contracting the virus this summer.

"It was not easy for me in terms of breathing and recovery," the 24-year-old midfielder told RMC Sports. "Things are much better today compared to the start of the season. I feel good but I worked a lot.

"My teammates all saw me during preseason, and they saw that it was difficult for me. It is something which disturbed my breathing levels. You have to work and over time it comes back.

"It is true that I think differently. In terms of how I play football, personally, I do not think I have changed. This is something that has left a mark on me. I try to enjoy myself as much as I can."

Elsewhere in Ligue 1, Olympique de Marseille's clash with Nice next Saturday is expected to be officially postponed after an outbreak of positive COVID-19 cases in the Aiglon squad and staff, meaning that the Champions League strugglers will not play again before their crunch Group C clash with Porto at Stade Velodrome.

AS Nancy Lorraine's Ligue 2 meeting with high-flying ESTAC Troyes is also expected to be postponed after the strugglers reported 15 positive cases within their senior squad.