Following on from a second Premier League title in five years, Liverpool have got the taste for things now and are being tipped to go back-to-back for the first time since 1984. Arne Slot and co. have a tricky start to their campaign, with , before matches against Newcastle United, Arsenal, Everton, Manchester United and Chelsea follow across their first eight fixtures.

However, the recently-crowned Premier League champions will have another significant hurdle to navigate later in the season when Mohamed Salah ditches the Reds to go off and play at the Africa Cup of Nations for Egypt. The competition, which is being held in Morocco, runs from December 21 to January 18, meaning if Egypt go all the way, Salah would miss six Premier League matches of the season.

There's no escaping that prospect for the first few in that sequence, which begins away to Tottenham Hotspur on December 20 (date subject to change) and Liverpool's two festive fixtures against Wolves (H) and Leeds United (H). How long Salah is away for will depend on Egypt's performance at the competition, with the knockouts set to get underway on January 3 - the same day Liverpool play Fulham at Craven Cottage.

But it's the potential absence of talisman Salah at the Emirates Stadium on January 7 that will worry the Liverpool faithful, given the fixture comes in between AFCON's round-of-16 and quarter-final stage. Unless Egypt suffer a group stage exit, it's unlikely Salah will be part of the squad for the trip to Arsenal.

Assuming Egypt remain in the competition, it would likely mean the last of the six matches Salah misses comes at home to Burnley.

However, with FA Cup and Champions League commitments thrown into the mix, throughout January, there's every chance Salah could be absent for up to nine matches (FA Cup third round, League Cup semi-final first leg, Champions League MD7).

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23/08/2025 15:00 Newcastle United vs Liverpool

30/08/2025 15:00 Liverpool vs Arsenal

13/09/2025 15:00 Burnley vs Liverpool

20/09/2025 15:00 Liverpool vs Everton

27/09/2025 15:00 Crystal Palace vs Liverpool

04/10/2025 15:00 Chelsea vs Liverpool

18/10/2025 15:00 Liverpool vs Manchester United

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01/11/2025 15:00 Liverpool vs Aston Villa

08/11/2025 15:00 Manchester City vs Liverpool

22/11/2025 15:00 Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest

29/11/2025 15:00 West Ham United vs Liverpool

03/12/2025 20:00 Liverpool vs Sunderland

06/12/2025 15:00 Leeds United vs Liverpool

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20/12/2025 15:00 Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool - Salah at AFCON

27/12/2025 15:00 Liverpool vs Wolverhampton - Salah at AFCON

30/12/2025 20:00 Liverpool vs Leeds United - Salah at AFCON

03/01/2026 15:00 Fulham vs Liverpool - Salah at AFCON

07/01/2026 20:00 Arsenal vs Liverpool - Salah at AFCON

17/01/2026 15:00 Liverpool vs Burnley - Salah at AFCON

24/01/2026 15:00 A.F.C. Bournemouth vs Liverpool

31/01/2026 15:00 Liverpool vs Newcastle United

07/02/2026 15:00 Liverpool vs Manchester City

11/02/2026 20:00 Sunderland vs Liverpool

21/02/2026 15:00 Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool

28/02/2026 15:00 Liverpool vs West Ham United

04/03/2026 20:00 Wolverhampton vs Liverpool

14/03/2026 15:00 Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur

21/03/2026 15:00 Brighton vs Liverpool

11/04/2026 15:00 Liverpool vs Fulham

18/04/2026 15:00 Everton vs Liverpool

25/04/2026 15:00 Liverpool vs Crystal Palace

02/05/2026 15:00 Manchester United vs Liverpool

09/05/2026 15:00 Liverpool vs Chelsea