How will the African Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup affect Premier League clubs?

The English Premier League is going through one of the most intense periods of the season. Teams are facing a demanding schedule, including league matches and cup competitions. This time coincides with the continental tournaments for African and Asian national teams, resulting in almost all English clubs delegating their players to participate.

In this article by Dailysports, let's understand how clubs are affected and how the absence of key players will impact them.

What are the schedules for the Asian Cup and the African Cup of Nations?

The Asian Cup will take place in Qatar from January 12th to February 10th. This tournament will predominantly affect Tottenham Hotspur. Meanwhile, players from nearly all Premier League teams are called up for the African Cup of Nations, scheduled from January 13th to February 11th in Ivory Coast.

Liverpool and Tottenham will miss several key players in the upcoming weeks

Tottenham's captain, Son Heung-min, will join his national team and won't be available for Tottenham during this crucial period. South Korea is considered one of the favorites for the Asian Cup, so there's a high chance the team will stay until the decisive stages. Additionally, Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma have also received calls to their national teams.

A similar problem arises for Liverpool. Their main striker, Mohamed Salah, has been called up for the African Cup of Nations with Egypt. There's reason to believe that Egypt will also contend for the cup, meaning Salah will be absent for about a month. Apart from him, Japan's Vataru Endo will participate in the Asian Cup, but his absence might not significantly impact Liverpool.

Which Premier League clubs will be affected the most?

Nottingham Forest will delegate six of their players to national teams. All these players are either first-team regulars or part of the immediate rotation, posing a significant challenge for Forest in the coming weeks.

Andre Onana and Sofiane Amrabat have also joined their national teams. Onana's absence will be felt as Manchester United loses its first-choice goalkeeper temporarily. Altay Bayindir will likely fill in for United's upcoming matches.

Among the top clubs, Arsenal and Chelsea will be affected the least. Arsenal will miss Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny. Chelsea will only have Senegalese forward Nicolas Jackson absent.

The number of players each club delegates to national teams:

• Nottingham Forest - 6
• Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brentford - 4
• Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham, and Manchester United - 3
• Sheffield United, Brighton, West Ham, Bournemouth, Liverpool, and Arsenal - 2
• Crystal Palace, Everton, Aston Villa, Luton Town, and Chelsea - 1

Manchester City and Newcastle remain unaffected

Pep Guardiola intends to leverage the squad issues of his main competitors. Manchester City will not send any players to the upcoming continental tournaments and aims to reclaim the top spot.

Another team, Newcastle, also remains unaffected, although they already face issues due to several injured players.

Additionally, Burnley will have striker Lyle Foster available, who had psychological issues. He missed two months but will play for Burnley in the Premier League. Thus, Burnley is among the clubs without representatives in the African Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup.

Which Premier League players will participate in the African Cup of Nations or the Asian Cup?

The number of players sent from the Premier League to the African Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup is comparable only to the French Ligue 1. This isn't surprising considering many African-born players with citizenship in their respective African countries play in France.

Nevertheless, the Premier League has the most substantial influence. For instance, in the final match of the previous African Cup of Nations between Senegal and Egypt, seven players representing the strongest league in the world were in the starting lineups for their national teams.