Mohamed Salah could miss three more Liverpool games even if he doesn't reach AFCON final

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Mohamed Salah’s participation at the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt is set to keep him away from Liverpool longer than initially hoped, and he could miss up to three more club games even if his country does not go all the way to the final. The article explains how the tournament schedule, combined with travel and recovery time, overlaps with a crucial run of Liverpool fixtures, leaving Arne Slot without his star forward at a key point in the season.

Egypt’s progress from the group stage into the knockout rounds has already ensured Salah’s absence across several matches, and the calendar means that even an early exit would not guarantee his immediate return to Merseyside. Instead, Liverpool must plan for a scenario in which Salah is unavailable for a sequence of Premier League and cup games, forcing Slot to rely heavily on alternative attacking options and reshuffle his frontline.

The piece places this in the broader context of Liverpool’s attacking issues, noting how injuries elsewhere in the squad have intensified the impact of Salah’s time away. With other forwards either sidelined or short of form, the team’s margin for error in front of goal is reduced, increasing the pressure on those deputising in Salah’s role.

There is also a focus on the psychological and tactical side of his absence. As Liverpool’s most decisive attacker and a key dressing-room figure, being without Salah affects not just goals and assists but the entire way the team approaches big games. The article suggests that Slot must find short-term solutions while also guarding against overloading the remaining forwards.

Ultimately, the article concludes that Liverpool will have to navigate a particularly testing stretch without their talisman, with the exact number of missed games dependent on Egypt’s AFCON run, but with the real possibility that Salah will sit out three more fixtures even if his nation falls short of the final.