Mohamed Salah poised to miss Arsenal clash as Liverpool star benched at AFCON

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Mohamed Salah dropped to Egypt bench for their final AFCON group game against Angola as Hossam Hassan made wholesale changes and rested the Liverpool forward with the Pharaohs' place in the knock-out stages already secureMohamed Salah has been benched by Egypt for their final Africa Cup of Nations group game against Angola. The Liverpool forward scored the winning goal in each of the Pharaohs' opening two matches against Zimbabwe and South Africa.And with his solitary strike from the penalty spot clinching Egypt’s place in the knock-out stages with a game to spare, head coach Hossam Hassan opted to make wholesale changes and name an entirely different starting XI for their final group clash with Angola.While the decision to rest Salah and the rest of his team-mates is perfectly understandable in the circumstances, it marks the sixth time the 33-year-old has not been included in the starting XI for club or country from their last eight games that he has been available for selection.READ MORE: Marc Guehi transfer stance made clear after Arne Slot offers Liverpool hintREAD MORE: Inside Liverpool set-piece woes and how Anfield chiefs plan to fix Reds' 'killer' problemArne Slot dropped Salah for Liverpool’s clashes with West Ham United, Sunderland and Leeds United, with the forward an unused substitute against the Hammers and Whites while he was introduced at half-time against the Black Cats.Speaking out against Slot following the draw with Leeds, he was then dropped entirely from the Reds matchday squad for the trip to Inter Milan.

And while he was recalled for the clash with Brighton & Hove Albion following amicable talks with his head coach, he was again only utilised as a substitute before departing for the Africa Cup of Nations.His involvement against Brighton ensured he was not available for Egypt’s warm-up friendly win over Nigeria, though he has since captained his homeland to 2-1 and 1-0 victories over Zimbabwe and South Africa.Having beaten South Africa, who are the only side in Group B who can still match Egypt’s current total of six points, the Pharaohs are also already guaranteed top spot.Their AFCON campaign will continue in Agadir on January 5 where they will face off with the third-placed side from Group A, C or D.Zambia, Tanzania and Benin currently occupy such berths, but Morocco, Mali, Comoros, Tunisia, Uganda, Senegal and DR Congo all remain possible opponents heading into the final round of group-stage fixtures.With their potential path to the final also decided, Egypt would face the winner of Group F (Ivory Coast/Cameroon/Mozambique) or the runner-up from Group E (Burkina Faso/Sudan) in Agadir on January 10 in the quarter-finals should they progress further in the tournament.A possible semi-final showdown in Tangier would await on January 14, with the third-place play-off taking place in Casablanca on January 17 and the final in Rabat on January 18.With Egypt now through to the knockout stages, Salah will definitely miss Liverpool’s clashes with Leeds United on New Year’s Day and Fulham on January 4.If the Pharaohs were to be knocked out in the round-of-16, the forward could potentially return for the Reds in time to feature for their trip to Arsenal on January 8.Liverpool’s home clashes with Barnsley on January 12 and Burnley on January 17 also clash with the latter stages of the Africa Cup of Nations.Meanwhile, if Egypt were to win the tournament and then have a celebratory homecoming, Salah’s involvement against Marseille in the Champions League on January 21 would also come into question.