Mohamed Salah could miss eight fixtures for Liverpool (Getty)
Mohamed Salah could miss up to eight games for Liverpool due to Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign.
Liverpool’s Premier League clash against Newcastle United on New Year’s Day will be Salah’s final game before he meets up with his Egypt teammates ahead of their pre-tournament friendly against Tanzania on January 7.
Egypt’s AFCON campaign, which is held in the Ivory Coast, will begin against Mozambique on January 14 before they play Ghana on January 18 and Cape Verde on January 22.
Egypt are widely expected to progress from Group B and their round-of-16 fixture will be played on either January 28 or 29, depending on where they finish in the table.
The AFCON quarter finals will be played on February 2 and 3, with the semi-finals on February 7 and the final, which will be held at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe, is on February 11.
Mohamed Salah will captain Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations (NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
If Egypt make it all the way to the AFCON final, that would rule Salah out for up to eight matches for Liverpool.
After their game against Newcastle United at Anfield on January 1, Jurgen Klopp’s side face a trip to Arsenal in the FA Cup third round on January 7.
Liverpool will then play Fulham twice in the Carabao Cup either side of their Premier League fixture against Bournemouth on January 21.
AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS CUP FIXTURES
Group stage: January 13 to January 24
Round-of-16: January 27 to January 30
Quarter-finals: February 2 and February 3
Semi-finals: February 7
Third-place playoff: February 10
Final: February 11
GAMES MOHAMED SALAH COULD MISS FOR LIVERPOOL
Arsenal (A) FA Cup – January 7
Fulham (H) Carabao Cup – January 10
Bournemouth (A) Premier League – January 21
Fulham (A) Carabao Cup – January 24
Potential FA Cup fourth-round tie – January 27
Chelsea (H) Premier League – January 31
Arsenal (A) Premier League – February 4
Burnley (H) Premier League – February 10
Salah is also likely to be absent for Liverpool’s FA Cup fourth-round tie, if they beat Arsenal, which will be scheduled for the weekend of January 27.
Salah, who lost in the AFCON final to Senegal in 2022, could also be unavailable for Liverpool’s Premier League games against Chelsea, Arsenal and Burnley.
When asked about Salah’s upcoming absence on Friday, Klopp said: ‘It is not the first time, it is a really at least very average situation that you lose your goalscorer but we had it even worse in the past when Sadio [Mane] and Mo left.
‘We came somehow through it and traditionally one of them went pretty far in the tournament, which made it worse.
‘We knew the Africa Cup of Nations from time to time appears and Mo has to go and we have [Wataru] Endo as a participant of the Asian Cup as well, so it is like it is. We have to deal with it and we will.’
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Salah could miss up to eight games.