Liverpool's hopes of retaining their Premier League title have been dealt an early blow with the possibility that Mo Salah could miss seven matches due to his AFCON involvement
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09:42, 18 Jun 2025
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 02: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool looks dejected during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between Liverpool FC and Bologna FC 1909 at Anfield on October 02, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Mo Salah is set to miss six Liverpool games next season(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Mohamed Salah could miss seven key games in Liverpool's Premier League 2025-26 season - including a huge date with title rivals Arsenal. Salah enjoyed a stunning campaign last year as the Reds stormed to the Premier League title.
He again proved himself to be a key man for the Merseysiders, scoring 29 goals as he played in every single league game. That helped them to romp to the title, the first time they have topped the Premier League since 2020.
Those goals helped to earn him a new two-year deal to remain at Anfield, with his contract having been set to expire this summer. But the attacker will be staying to help Slot's side mount a defence of their title.
His record also saw the 33-year-old claim the Premier League's Golden Boot award for the fourth year, as well as being named the division's Player of the Year for a second time. The fixtures for the upcoming campaign were released on Wednesday.
But they threw up an immediate problem for Liverpool with Salah set to miss seven games in total. It means Slot will have to create a plan to deal with the absence of his star man during a crucial period of the season.
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Salah's absence is due to his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations. The attacker is captain of Egypt, who have safely qualified for the tournament, which will be hosted by Morocco.
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Egypt's first game comes in a group stage clash against Zimbabwe on 22 December in Agadir. His country will likely have the right to have him in the squad for at least a week ahead of that game, unless Liverpool do a deal to keep him for longer.
If no deal is done, then Salah will likely miss the Reds' trip to Tottenham, which will be held in the Gameweek starting 20 December. He will then definitely miss the clash against Wolves on 27 December, with Egypt facing South Africa the day before on Boxing Day.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 25: (THE SUN OUT. THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Mohamed Salah of Liverpool celebrates with the Premier League trophy, as Liverpool are crowned the Champions of the Premier League for the 2024/25 Season, following the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield on May 25, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Salah's absence for AFCON is a serious dent to Liverpool's hopes of retaining their title
(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
The visit of Leeds will also see Liverpool having to do without Salah. That game is due to be played in the days from 30 December, with Egypt taking on Angola on 29 December. Obviously, Egypt's participation in the rest of the tournament will not be confirmed until after those three group games. But they are one of the favourites to win AFCON for the eighth time.
They have not won the tournament since 2010 and if they make it through the group, they will face four knockout matches. The first of those will be held on either 3, 4 or 5 January, depending on where they finish.
That means that Salah will miss Liverpool's clash against Fulham, which is provisionally scheduled for 3 January. Even if Egypt are knocked out, the attacker faces a race against time to take on Arsenal on 7 January.
He will certainly miss that trip to the Gunners if Egypt do make it through. In that scenario, their quarter-final will be held on either 9 or 10 January.
The Premier League will then pause for the FA Cup third-round - another match Salah could miss. - with the Reds next back in action top-flight when they host Burnley around 17 January. But Salah will also miss that game if Egypt make it through to the final, which will be played in Rabat on 18 January.
There is a Champions League group stage game on either January 20 or 21, which he could be back for. But all told, it's a tough run for the Reds where they'll have to adapt to life without the Kop's Egyptian king.
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