Liverpool could be heading into the Premier League season without its star player, Mohamed Salah. This after Egypt secured its spot in the African Cup of Nations tournament next year. This prove especially tricky given AFCON will run between January 13 and February 11: the heart of the football season.
Egypt has won the tournament seven times in their history, except in 2010.
Liverpool will kick off the 2023/24 season against Mauricio Pochettino’s remodeled Chelsea. The Reds will then host Bournemouth at Anfield, then head into a tough away game against Newcastle in August. As the schedule stands, Salah is also likely to miss key matches against Bournemouth (January 13, 2024) and a potentially season-defining clash against Chelsea (31 January, 2024). Not to mention the game against Arsenal in early-February.
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Should Egypt make it to the latter stages of AFCON, Salah could also miss matches against Burnley and Brentford during February.
A total of 24 teams will battle it out in the tournament, including Salah’s Egypt. The Pharaohs have won AFCON seven times, but have not lifted the trophy since 2010, since losing on penalties to Senegal in the 2021 final. They reached the final in 2022, but lost again to Senegal in a dramatic penalty shootout.
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The tournament is set to take place in Cote d’Ivoire at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan. The final match is set for February 11, 2024. The four-week clash will see if anyone can tip Senegal from their top spot, or if the Teranga Lions will stand as the defending champions.
