Mohamed Salah netted his 17th and 18th goals of the season in the 4-2 win over Newcastle United in his most recent outing, but he is now set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations.
He will hope to lead Egypt, who hold the record for the most wins in the competition with seven, to glory for the first time since 2010 and will be keen to go one step further after losing out to Senegal in 2021 on penalties.
24 teams will take part in the competition that begins on January 13 and finishes on February 11 and it will mean that Salah, along with a whole host of Premier League stars, will be absent from action for most of January and potentially early February depending on how the tournament plays out.
Liverpool fans will hope for an early Egypt exit so Salah can return to firing Jurgen Klopp’s side to glory across multiple competitions and they will be pleased to hear they are the fifth favourites (according to the bookies) to win the tournament which gives hope of an early return.
1. Arsenal (A) – January 7
The Reds face a tough third round in the FA Cup as they face Arsenal at the Emirates in their first game of the competition.
2. Fulham (H) – January 10
Klopp’s side welcome for their leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final where they will hope to face Chelsea or Middlesbrough in the final.
3. AFC Bournemouth (A) – January 21
Andoni Iraola’s side have been in sparkling form and have proven to be a tough side to beat at home. Former Red Dominic Solanke has been in great form and this game will prove to be hugely difficult.
4. Fulham (A) – January 24
The return leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final takes place near the end of the month.
5. Chelsea (H) – January 31
Liverpool will welcome a Chelsea side who have been hugely inconsistent this season.
6. Arsenal (A) – February 4
Klopp’s side face another trip to North London to face Mikel Arteta’s side; they lost 2-1 in the same fixture last season and this stands as a chance to dent a rival’s hopes for the title.
7. Burnley (H) – February 10
This would be the last game Salah misses if his side reach the final as they did in 2021.
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