Mohamed Salah’s Participation in Africa Cup of Nations Could Result in Nine Missed Games for Liverpool
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah will be absent from four games due to his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations. However, depending on Egypt’s progress in the tournament and Liverpool’s success in domestic cup competitions, Salah could potentially miss up to nine games for the Reds.
AFCON is being played across January and February for the second consecutive time, which means Salah will have to be without him for Liverpool. The number of games he will miss is contingent on Egypt’s performance in the tournament, considering they reached the final last time.
Salah will definitely miss four games, including the FA Cup third-round tie against Arsenal, an away match against Bournemouth, and both legs of the League Cup semi-final against Fulham. Even if Egypt is eliminated in their final group game on January 22, Salah would still be unavailable for the second leg of the cup semi-final on January 24.
Additionally, if Liverpool requires a replay for their FA Cup tie against Arsenal, another match would be added to the list. AFCON starts on January 13 and concludes with the final on February 11, making it highly likely that Salah will miss up to five more domestic games.
If Egypt progresses to the round of 16, Salah will be unavailable for the match against Chelsea on January 31 and a potential FA Cup fourth-round game on January 27. Advancing to the quarter-finals would result in Salah missing the league match against Arsenal on February 4, and reaching the semi-finals would rule him out of the game against Burnley on February 10.
It’s worth noting that when Salah last participated in the tournament, he returned to play for Liverpool just four days after the final. The 31-year-old is known for his quick return to action, and Liverpool hopes he will come back fit and healthy to continue his impressive contributions this season.
The number of games Salah misses will depend on Egypt’s progress in the tournament and Liverpool’s performance in the FA Cup. As fans eagerly wait to see how far Egypt goes and Liverpool’s cup journey unfolds, the team hopes for Salah’s swift return to the pitch.