IMAGE CREDITS: IMAGO IMAGES
With the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations kicking off in Morocco on December 21, Liverpool will be navigating a congested festive schedule without their talismanic forward, Mohamed Salah.
The Egypt captain will likely report for national team duty at least one week before the tournament begins, meaning he will be unavailable for five Premier League fixtures.
Salah’s absence comes at a congested festive period for Arne Slot, with games coming thick and fast every three days.
Below is a table of Salah’s confirmed absences for Liverpool during the AFCON period:
Date Opponent Venue
December 13, 2025 Brighton & Hove Albion Anfield
December 20, 2025 Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
December 27, 2025 Wolverhampton Wanderers Anfield
December 30, 2025 Leeds United Anfield
January 3, 2026 Fulham Craven Cottage
Egypt are in Group B alongside South Africa, Angola, and Zimbabwe. Their confirmed group stage matches are:
December 22, 2025: Egypt vs Zimbabwe (6pm local time)
December 26, 2025: Egypt vs South Africa (6pm local time)
December 29, 2025: Angola vs Egypt (8:30pm local time)
If Egypt progress as expected from their group, this could extend to 7-8 matches, including crucial fixtures against Arsenal and potentially the FA Cup Third Round.
Potential Additional Absences Based on Egypt’s Progress
If Egypt Qualify for Round of 16 (January 2-5, 2026):
January 7, 2026 (Wednesday 8pm): Arsenal vs Liverpool (Away)
If Egypt Reach Quarter-Finals (January 8-11, 2026):
January 17, 2026 (Saturday 3pm): Liverpool vs Burnley (Home)
If Egypt Reach Semi-Finals (January 14-15, 2026)
This would also affect the January 17 fixture, with Salah potentially missing additional training time.
If Egypt Reach the Final (January 18, 2026)
January 24, 2026 (Saturday 3pm): AFC Bournemouth vs Liverpool (Away)
Arne Slot has mentioned that Jeremie Frimpong could potentially fill that gap, and the resurgence of Federico Chiesa this term could also help in that regard.
“We definitely thought about that (Salah being away at AFCON),” Slot said ahead of the Community Shield final.
“We brought in Jeremie Frimpong because we think he can play as a right full-back, but I also feel that he can play as a right winger.”
“We will miss Mo for a maximum of six games, but that’s quite a lot in the Premier League, especially when you see how well he did last season.”
“Signing Jeremie was for multiple reasons but one of them was that he could replace Mo if Mo is not there. There are other options as well but Jeremie is definitely one of them.”
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