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Next season's Premier League fixtures are now out - find out which games your players could miss while at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Morocco will host the 24-team tournament, which was originally scheduled to take place between June and July 2025 to avoid clashing with European clubs' schedules, only for the new expanded FIFA Club World Cup to put an end to those plans.
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As a result, it will now take place between December 21, 2025 and January 18, 2026, earlier than the 2023 tournament that happened between January and February 2024 due to the final two league games in the new enlarged Champions League being scheduled for January 20-21 and 28 next year.
And so these Premier League clubs will be missing a number of players for, potentially, several crucial fixtures at an integral part of next season:
Liverpool
Mohamed Salah will captain Egypt at the tournament, meaning the Premier League champions will be without last season's FWA Footballer of the Year for a critical juncture of their title defence.
The forward contributed an incredible 29 goals and 18 assists to help Arne Slot's side win the 2024/25 Premier League and given he suffered a debilitating hamstring injury while playing for Egypt at the 2023/24 AFCONs that seriously impacted Liverpool's title challenge that season, Reds head coach Arne Slot will be praying his star man comes back fit from Morocco.
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Either way, the 33-year-old could miss these top-flight fixtures - depending on how far Egypt go in the tournament [they were knocked out at the round-of-16 stage in 2024] - including a potentially defining clash at last season's runners-up Arsenal:
Tottenham vs Liverpool, December 20
Liverpool vs Wolves, December 27
Liverpool vs Leeds United - December 30
Fulham vs Liverpool - January 3
Arsenal vs Liverpool - January 7
Liverpool vs Burnley - January 17
Man City
Pep Guardiola is set to be without both Egypt striker Omar Marmoush and summer-signing Rayan Ait Nouri during next season's AFCON.
Marmoush made an instant impact after moving to the Etihad from Eintracht Frankfurt in January, scoring seven goals in just 16 Premier League games, while City's new Algeria left-back is expected to play a key role for Guardiola's team next season.
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And that means City could be without both players for these league encounters, including the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on January 17, were either nation to make it as far as the semi-finals:
Man City vs West Ham - December 20
Nottingham Forest vs Man City - December 27
Sunderland vs Man City - December 30
Man City vs Chelsea - January 3
Man City vs Brighton - January 7
Man Utd vs Man City - January 17
Man Utd
United manager Ruben Amorim could be missing goalkeeper Andre Onana [Cameroon], right-back Noussair Mazraoui [Morocco] and forward Amad Diallo [Ivory Coast] all for a key month of his first full campaign in charge at Old Trafford.
If Bryan Mbeumo does complete a move from Brentford this summer, United will also be without their new Cameroon forward during the tournament.
And with Amorim desperate to improve on the club's worst-ever Premier League finish last season, the Portuguese would not have wanted to be without that key trio - and maybe event quartet - for these possible matches, including potentially pivotal clashes at Aston Villa and Leeds United and home to Newcastle United and arch-rivals Man City.
Aston Villa vs Man Utd - December 20
Man Utd vs Newcastle - December 27
Man Utd vs Wolves - December 30
Leeds vs Man Utd - January 3
Burnley vs Man Utd - January 7
Man Utd vs Man City - January 17
Chelsea
The impact for Enzo Maresca appears less severe than for others, with the Blues head coach only likely to have to make do without the services of Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson during AFCON.
And while the 23-year-old's 10 Premier League goals did play a key part in Chelsea securing Champions League football last season, the Blues have since signed Liam Delap, who can replace him in attack during the tournament for these fixtures:
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Newcastle vs Chelsea - December 20
Chelsea vs Aston Villa - December 27
Chelsea vs Bournemouth - December 30
Man City vs Chelsea - January 3
Fulham vs Chelsea - January 7
Chelsea vs Brentford - January 17
Tottenham Hotspur
New Tottenham manager Thomas Frank will have to make do without both Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr during Mali's and Senegal's respective AFCON participations.
And that means the important midfield duo will definitely be missing Spurs' massive home game with champions Liverpool on December 20, as well as potentially these other Premier League fixtures:
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Tottenham vs Liverpool - December 20
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham - December 27
Brentford vs Tottenham - December 30
Tottenham vs Sunderland - January 3
Bournemouth vs Tottenham - January 7
West Ham vs Tottenham - January 17
What about Arsenal and Newcastle?
Arsenal and Newcastle United both appear to have gained an advantage over their other title rivals, with neither team having any players away at AFCON.
The Gunners had been expecting to be without Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey for the tournament, only for the four-time African champions to fail to qualify after finishing bottom of the Group F, missing out for the first time since 2004.
Sky Sports to show 215 live Premier League games from next season
From next season, Sky Sports' Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports.
