Mikel Arteta, Thomas Frank and Marco Silva will be pleased with one aspect of the Premier League fixture calendar for next season.
Sign up to our LondonWorld Today newsletter
Sign up
Thank you for signing up!
Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to LondonWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
Submitting...
Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham are all set to face a Liverpool side without danger man Mohamed Salah this season with the Premier League fixtures confirmed for the 2025/26 campaign.
The Africa Cup of Nations returns later this year and will see a wave of Premier League stars from the continent jet off from league duty to represent their nations. The most famous of those players is the Reds’ Egyptian king Salah.
The 33-year-old remains prolific for Liverpool and signed a new contract with the club in April. He’s set to lead the line for Arne Slot’s side again next year, having bagged 29 league goals and picked up 18 assists last season. In total, over his 301 Premier League appearances, Salah has scored 186 goals and managed 113 assists.
Mohamed Salah record against Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham
Salah has enjoyed success against London clubs. The forward has 16 goals against Spurs during his career, the most he has bagged against any team, those finishes coming across 24 appearances. He has 11 goals in 18 outings against Arsenal and four in 10 matches against Fulham.
Last season, Salah scored in both league matches against Tottenham Hotspur, bagging two goals and two assists in December and then a single goal in April. He also picked up a goal and assist in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. The winger didn’t score in either match against Fulham during the 2024/25 season but was on target in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal in October.
Egypt have safely qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco this year. Egypt begin the tournament on December 22 against Zimbabwe in Agadir but Salah will likely fly out at least a week prior, unless Liverpool do a deal to keep him longer.
Africa Cup of Nations 2025 dates
If that deal isn’t done, Salah will miss Liverpool’s trip to Tottenham on December 20. He’ll then be absent against Wolves on December 27 and the visit of Leeds United to Anfield at the end of December.
If Egypt make it through the group stage - and, given they are one of the favourites to win the tournament, they likely will - Salah will then miss matches in January. Liverpool first face Fulham on January 3 and then are up against Arsenal on January 7. The Africa Cup of Nations quarter finals are on January 9 and 10.
The Premier League then pauses for the FA Cup third round, which Salah could also miss, before Liverpool return to action against Burnley on January 17. Salah could also be absent against the Clarets with the Africa Cup of Nations final scheduled for January 18.
Arsenal, Fulham and Spurs will also be missing key players during those weeks. Should he sign a contract extension, that would include Gunners man Thomas Partey. For Spurs, it could be Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma. At Fulham, Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi.
In other news, Tottenham can guarantee Burnley win with £60m transfer - opinion.