Mohamed Salah‘s place in the Africa Cup Nations third-place playoff means Liverpool will still have to wait for his return after Egypt’s defeat to Senegal.
The first AFCON semi-final pitted Salah against former teammate Sadio Mane, with their respective teams playing out a repeat of the 2021 final, of which the latter was the victor.
Mohamed Salah AFCON Return
- Third-place playoff: Salah is expected to remain in Morocco to compete for a bronze medal after Egypt’s 1-0 semi-final defeat to Sadio Mane‘s Senegal.
- Fixture date: Egypt now face Nigeria in the third-place playoff on Saturday, January 17 (4pm GMT), ruling Salah out of Liverpool’s clash with Burnley.
- Return plans: Expect Salah to return to Merseyside on Sunday or Monday; could return for the Marseille trip (Jan 21) before travelling to Bournemouth (Jan 24).
On Wednesday, it was Mane, again, who took their country to the final, while Salah must now settle for the third-place playoff.
With Salah’s Egypt losing in the semi-final, the question will be asked of when he will return to Liverpool.
Mo Salah in AFCON third-place playoff: When will he return to Liverpool?
Liverpool knew ahead of Egypt’s semi-final that they would be without their winger until the end of the competition, as he was guaranteed a place in either the final or third-place playoff.
They both take place over the weekend of January 17/18, meaning Salah was always to miss the visit of Burnley at Anfield this Saturday.
• Third place play-off: Saturday, January 17 – 4pm (GMT)
• Final: Sunday, January 18 – 7pm (GMT)
He is not guaranteed to play on Saturday against Nigeria, but he will be expected to stay with his country until the end, meaning the earliest Salah is likely to travel back to Merseyside is Sunday.
Liverpool will hope Salah is not risked for a bronze medal after a month-long tournament that saw him play 480 minutes across five games, and score four goals.
When could Mo Salah’s play his first game back with Liverpool?
Mohamed Salah: AFCON in Numbers
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Liverpool’s first game outside of the AFCON calendar is the important Champions League trip to Marseille on Wednesday, January 21, which Salah would be eligible to feature in.
If that is deemed too early, his next realistic match would be the trip to Bournemouth on January 24, assuming Slot selects his No. 11.
Salah has missed the last six games, of which the Reds have won three and drawn three, and will return with the dust settled from his explosive comments, though certainly not out of mind.
The 33-year-old played 64 minutes off the bench before he left for AFCON, his first appearance after his bombshell interview, with Slot declaring the situation resolved.