With the African Cup of Nations kicking off in less than a week, Liverpool’s stars are jetting off to join up with their national teams in the hope of lifting silverware on February 6.
Indeed, Sadio Mane posted a photo of himself and Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy on the plane less than a day after the pair faced off in the Premier League.
The players’ attentions are now firmly with their nation, Senegal, as they attempt to win their first-ever Cup of Nations, having twice finished as runners-up – most recently in 2019 when they lost by a single goal to Algeria.
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Cameroon is set to host the tournament’s 33rd edition but it's been a tumultuous journey to reach this point.
The country was stripped of hosting the 2019 edition due to a rebellion in the English-speaking west of the country, however, the Confederation of African Football has been assured that tensions have eased in the region, where the Stade de Limbe will host eight matches.
Who will be there?
Sadio Mane's Senegal are arguably the favourites for the trophy but Egypt, led by their talismanic captain Mohamed Salah, are also amongst the contenders.
As captain of Guinea, Naby Keita will be in action too and will come up against a Senegal team, in Group B, that features Kalidou Koulibaly, Keita Balde and ex-Everton midfielder, Idrissa Gana Gueye, as well as Mane.
Also challenging Senegal will be Algeria. The holders still have a strong squad including Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez, West Ham’s Said Benrahma and Napoli’s Adam Ounas in attack.
Former short-term Liverpool defender, Steven Caulker will be there also after receiving a surprise call-up for Sierra Leone, who are appearing at AFCON for the first time in 25 years.
The 30-year-old played and scored for England, in a friendly against Sweden, nine years ago but is eligible to play for Sierra Leone due to his father’s ancestry.
Back in October, he told BBC Sport: “I think we have a lot of qualities. We have a good young coach [John Keister]; a good set-up; and a lot of boys who are hungry to achieve success with the national team…
“We all know that it's going to be difficult, but I believe in the team, in our coach and we are all working hard to be best-prepared for the tournament. Off the pitch, I hope to inspire children all around the world - in particular, in Sierra Leone - to play football, to feel the joy that we all feel when we put on the national shirt."
When?
The first chance to watch Liverpool’s players in action will be on January 10 when Senegal face Zimbabwe and Guinea play Malawi.
Meanwhile, supporters of Egypt will have to wait an extra 24 hours to watch Salah against a weakened Nigeria side, that won’t include Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis.
His club say that the Nigeria Football Federation were too late to notify Watford, and whilst Nigeria haven’t disputed this, they believe Watford have threatened the forward to stay in Hertfordshire.
The final will take place on February 6 at the 60,000-seater Olembe stadium in the capital, Yaounde.
What does it mean for Liverpool?
All three of Liverpool’s players involved will have hopes of reaching the final. Naby Keita’s Guinea team are the least likely of the three to get there, however, they could go deeper than anticipated after being given a relatively favourable draw.
With the round of 16 starting on January 23, it’s most almost certain that all three Reds will miss at least five Liverpool games, including both Carabao Cup semi-finals against Arsenal.
If they do reach the final, they could be absent for as many as eight games due to a potential FA Cup fourth round fixture and the rescheduled date of the postponed Leeds match still yet to be announced.
