For all of the mind-boggling numbers produced by Mohamed Salah during his Liverpool career, the figures surrounding his unrelenting availability are perhaps the most impressive.
Since Salah rocked up on Merseyside in the summer of 2017, no attacking player in any of Europe’s top five leagues has accrued more top-flight minutes, featuring in 89% of Liverpool’s Premier League outings.
To make these figures even more astounding, one must take into consideration that Salah led Egypt to the final of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations which was held during the middle of the 2021/22 season.
The tournament ended in heartbreak for Salah, suffering a second final defeat in the space of four years. With every club trophy available already collected, Salah will have the chance to win his first international tournament again at the 2023 AFCON next season.
Here’s everything you need to know about how Salah’s involvement in the competition may lead to some rare absences for Liverpool.
Deceptively, the 2023 AFCON is scheduled to be held after the conclusion of 2023, with the continental jamboree taking place between 13 January 2024 and 11 February 2024 in the Ivory Coast.
The exact dates of each group stage match and knockout tie will be finalised once the draw has been made on 12 October 2023. When clubs will be forced to release players to their national team also remains uncertain but Salah was playing for Liverpool a week before the 2021 AFCON kicked off.
Egypt – five-time winners of the competition before Salah made his debut – are guaranteed to play at least three group stage matches but have made it all the way to the final in five of the last six tournaments.
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Liverpool’s Premier League games during the 2023 AFCON
|
Date |
Time |
Fixture |
|---|---|---|
|
13/01/2024 |
15:00 |
Bournemouth v Liverpool |
|
31/01/2024 |
20:00 |
Liverpool v Chelsea |
|
03/02/2024 |
15:00 |
Arsenal v Liverpool |
|
10/02/2024 |
15:00 |
Liverpool v Burnley |
In the event that Salah’s Egypt qualify for the final of the continental competition, Liverpool will be without their top scorer from the last six seasons for at least four Premier League matches.
Salah may experience a faint sense of relief as he is all but guaranteed to miss Liverpool’s trip to Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium which falls on the same day that the Cup of Nations begins. Last season, Salah screwed a penalty horribly wide as Liverpool lost 1-0 on the south coast.
The ardently durably Egyptian should be available for Liverpool’s season opener away to Chelsea on Sunday 13 August 2023 but may miss the reverse fixture against his former employers at Anfield at the end of January.
Liverpool also travel to Arsenal‘s Emirates Stadium during the potential window of Salah’s absenteeism. The Gunners only lost two Premier League home games across the entirety of last season, defeating Liverpool 3-2 in a thrilling match in the capital last October.
Salah could be back on Merseyside or preparing for the AFCON final by the time Liverpool host Burnley on 10 February 2024 – the day before the tournament’s showpiece match.
Potential Liverpool FA Cup ties during the 2023 AFCON
|
Round |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Fourth round |
27/01/2024 |
Liverpool’s FA Cup third round tie – which will be the club’s first match of the competition next season – will take place on the weekend of Saturday 6 January 2024. This could very well be the final club fixture Salah is available for before joining up with his country.
However, should the Reds qualify for the fourth round – which they have done in 11 of the last 12 seasons – they may be without their talismanic winger.
Potential Liverpool Carabao Cup ties during the 2023 AFCON
|
Round |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Semi-final first leg |
08/01/2024 |
|
Semi-final second leg |
21/01/2024 |
Liverpool have won England’s secondary cup competition more often than any other club in the land (nine times). However, Jurgen Klopp has only steered the Reds to the semi-finals once in the last six seasons.
If Liverpool do make it into the final four of the 2023/24 Carabao Cup, Salah’s involvement appears unlikely. The first leg of the semi-final has been scheduled for the week beginning on 8 January 2024, with matches traditionally played in midweek. That would give Salah less than seven days to jet off to the Ivory Coast and join up with his national team before the tournament begins.
The second leg – pencilled in for the week of 21 January 2024 – is likely to be right in the middle of the AFCON group stage.
Potential Liverpool Europa League games during the 2023 AFCON
While Salah could miss a total of seven domestic matches, the AFCON will just about be wrapped up by the time Europa League football resumes for the knockout stages.
If Liverpool top their Europa group, they will earn a bye to the round of 16 which doesn’t get going until Thursday 7 March 2024. Even if the Reds finished second and were forced to contest the knockout round play-offs against a club dropping down from the Champions League, the first leg is scheduled for Thursday 15 February 2024.
The AFCON final may take place on Sunday 11 February but Salah has shown that he is entirely capable of a quick turnaround. Four days after losing the 2022 showpiece to Senegal, Salah came off the bench for Liverpool in a 2-0 win over Leicester. Despite featuring for just half an hour, Salah rattled off more shots on target than any other player on the pitch. No wonder Klopp calls him a “machine”.
