Liverpool have discovered their schedule for the campaign after the fixtures for the 2023/24 Premier League season were released.
The Reds kick off the season with a testing trip to Mauricio Pochettino’s new-look Chelsea, before hosting Bournemouth at Anfield on Saturday, August 19. Then comes another tough away game against Newcastle to finish off August.
Yet Jurgen Klopp’s side's toughest run of the campaign appears to come around the Christmas period starting in mid-December including games against top-four rivals Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle in a hectic schedule. It is a run of games that is likely to define their campaign.
The Reds will hope to be close to full strength for that run of games but they are also resigned to losing superstar forward Mohamed Salah the following month. The Egyptian will be representing his country at the African Cup of Nations.
The tournament will be held in Ivory Coast and will last from 13 January through to 11 February, and, barring an early elimination for Egypt, Salah is likely to be unavailable for club selection for up to a month in what will come as a blow to Klopp’s team.
Egypt wrapped up their qualification for the tournament on Wednesday, as Salah featured in his nation’s 2-1 victory at Guinea. It ensures Egypt top their group with Malawi and Ethiopia both missing out on qualification from the four-team group.
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It means that Salah is set to miss four Premier League matches for Liverpool, alongside both legs of the EFL Cup semi-final – should the Reds make it that far – and also the opening rounds of the FA Cup, which will fall during this period.
The 31-year-old will miss the away game against Bournemouth – the first Premier League game of the 2024 calendar year for the Reds and where they lost 1-0 last season, with Salah missing his spot-kick – before missing two of their most noteworthy games of the campaign, at home to Chelsea and away against Arsenal.
That run of three games yielded a solitary point for Klopp’s side last campaign with Salah also set to miss the clash against Burnley at Anfield in early February, should Egypt advance into the latter stages of the African Cup of Nations.
Salah remains Liverpool ’s star player, having bagged 30 goals last term despite the team’s disappointing campaign. The Egyptian bagged 19 Premier League goals and featured in every league game for Klopp’s side, starting every match but one.
