The impending AFCON in January is being greeted with much trepidation by most Liverpool supporters, due to the absences of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita.
The trio are set to be missing from the start of the tournament on the 9th of January but this date could be moved earlier if recent updates reported by The Mirror are to be believed.
They have reported that Egyptian club Al Ahly are lobbying for the start of the competition to be changed to the 3rd of January, a date which would mean it is highly unlikely any of the three African stars would feature in a vital game against Chelsea on the 2nd.
The reason for Al Ahly requesting the change is due to their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup as the holders of the CAF Champions League, the competition is set to begin on the 3rd of February which is three days before the AFCON final.
Moving the tournament back would mean they would be able to utilise their African players for the tournament and thus the chances of an African team doing well in an international club tournament.
This would be very bad news for us as the missed games would then be Chelsea (A), Shrewsbury (H) in the FA Cup, Brentford (H) and Crystal Palace (A).
The game against Thomas Tuchel’s side will be the priority for Jurgen Klopp though and he will be desperate to ensure our big hitters are available and hope that the squad depth can cover the other matches.
Fingers crossed this doesn’t come to fruition and that Al Ahly’s loss is our gain.
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