Liverpool may lose Salah for 11 matches due to the Africa Cup of Nations, facing a big clash with Arsenal

Liverpool is preparing for a tough phase, probably having to compete without Mohamed Salah for six weeks due to the Africa Cup of Nations.

According to Daily Mail, Salah is scheduled to meet head coach Hossam Hassan next week to discuss when he will join the Egyptian national team. “The Pharaohs” plan to play friendlies against UAE (December 6), Jordan (December 9), and Nigeria (December 14), which is two weeks before the Africa Cup of Nations starts on December 21. Under FIFA rules, Egypt has full rights to call up Salah for these matches.

However, Liverpool does not want to lose their top star too early. During the same period, “The Reds” will face Leeds and Brighton in the Premier League, as well as Inter Milan in the Champions League, a critical series of matches in the title race. Coach Arne Slot wants Salah to stay at least until after the Brighton match (December 13) before flying to Morocco.

If Egypt reaches the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (January 18), Salah could miss up to 11 Liverpool matches, including games against Tottenham, Wolves, Leeds, Fulham, Arsenal, Burnley in the Premier League, and the match against Marseille in the Champions League. He might even miss the FA Cup third round in early January if additional rest is needed.

Ideally, if Egypt is eliminated early and Salah recovers in time, he could return on January 24 in the match against Bournemouth. However, this depends on the schedule and the 32-year-old star’s recovery progress.

The relationship between Liverpool and the Egyptian Football Association has been tense multiple times. During the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, Salah was allowed to return to Liverpool early after an injury in the match against Ghana. At that time, Hossam Hassan (then a TV analyst) openly criticized the decision, saying Salah “should have stayed with the team since the injury was not too serious”.

Liverpool later issued an official statement to avoid damaging the relationship between both parties. Although the conflict has temporarily eased, the current issue—balancing club interests and national duty—could reignite the debate.

Despite not being at his peak this season, Salah remains the core of Arne Slot’s system. Losing him during the dense fixture period at the end of the year would be a huge blow to Liverpool’s ambition to defend their Premier League title.