The 2023 AFCON is set to have a massive impact on the Premier League this season. As usual, the prestigious biennial competition will be taking place over the winter — beginning on January 13 and ending on February 11, 2024.
The tournament will be on during a busy period of the English schedule that includes both Premier League and FA Cup matches.
Players could be absent from domestic duty for up to eight matches as they are expected to be on international duty for some days before and after the tournament.
The EPL mid-season break will take place between the 13th to the 27th of January, with Matchweek 21 of the Premier League split across the weekends of 13-14 and 20-21 January 2024.
Hence, the further a player goes in the tournament, the more top-flight games they will be absent for once the season resumes.
If a player is knocked out early, they could well be back in action for their club’s next league game on January 30 or 31.
However, if a player reaches the final, they could miss a total of four or even five fixtures for their clubs.
For Salah and Egypt, this is a real possibility and the winger is likely to be absent for crucial games against Chelsea and Arsenal.
Nottingham Forest could potentially be affected the most. As much as EIGHT members of their squad, including Emmanuel Dennis and Taiwo Awoniyi, may be away for an extended period.
A total of 50 EPL players (representing 13 countries) are in contention to feature at AFCON 2023!
Only Manchester City and Newcastle United of the 20 Premier League clubs will not have any player at the AFCON.
Thus, AFCON could play a big part in some EPL clubs’ success this season should they lose their key players for a significant amount of time.
List of the Premier League players set for AFCON 2023.
Arsenal
Thomas Partey (Ghana)
Mohamed Elneny (Egypt)
Aston Villa
Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso)
Bournemouth
Hamed Traore (Ivory Coast)
Dango Ouatarra (Burkina Faso)
Antoine Semenyo (Ghana)
Brentford
Frank Onyeka (Nigeria)
Bryan Mbuemo (Cameroon)
Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)
Brighton & Hove Albion
Tariq Lamptey (Ghana)
Carlos Baleba (Cameroon)
Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast)
Samy Chouchane (Tunisia)
Burnley
Anass Zaroury (Morocco)
Lyle Foster (South Africa)
Chelsea
Nicolas Jackson (Senegal)
Crystal Palace
Jordan Ayew (Ghana)
Cheick Doucoure (Mali)
Jeffrey Schlupp (Ghana)
Everton
Idrissa Gueye (Senegal)
Abdoulaye Doucoure (Mali)
Fulham
Calvin Bassey (Nigeria)
Alex Iwobi (Nigeria)
Fode Ballo-Toure (Senegal)
Liverpool
Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
Joel Matip (Cameroon)
Luton Town
Issa Kabore (Burkina Faso)
Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu (DR Congo)
Manchester United
Andre Onana (Cameroon)
Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco)
Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia)
Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast)
Nottingham Forest
Serge Aurier (Ivory Coast)
Willy Boly (Ivory Coast)
Ibrahim Sangare (Ivory Coast)
Moussa Niakhate (Senegal)
Cheikhou Kouyate (Senegal)
Taiwo Awoniyi (Nigeria)
Ola Aina (Nigeria)
Sheffield United
Ismaila Coulibaly (Mali)
Anis Ben Slimane (Tunisia)
Beni Traore (Ivory Coast)
Tottenham Hotspurs
Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal)
Yves Bissouma (Mali)
West Ham United
Mohamed Kudus (Ghana)
Maxwel Cornet (Ivory Coast)
Nayef Aguerd (Morocco)
Said Benrahma (Algeria)
Wolves
Rayan Ait-Nouri (Algeria)
Boubacar Traore (Mali)
