Fears of Mohamed Salah’s Egypt suffering an early exit at the Africa Cup of Nations have grown after a supercomputer predicted a shock last-16 defeat.
Salah has already joined up with his international teammates ahead of Egypt’s opening group game against Zimbabwe, with the tournament running until January 18.
However, a forecast from BookmakersCameroun.com suggests Egypt could be knocked out by Comoros in the first knockout round, potentially allowing Salah to return to Liverpool earlier than expected.
Last-16 matches are scheduled between January 3 and January 6, with Liverpool facing Arsenal on January 8.
Salah is set to miss Liverpool’s festive fixtures against Tottenham and Wolves while representing Egypt, who will also face Angola and South Africa in the group stage.
Although a swift return for the Arsenal game may be unlikely, an early AFCON exit could see the 33-year-old available for Liverpool’s FA Cup tie against Barnsley on January 12.
The Egyptian captain was absent from his nation’s warm-up win over Nigeria after arriving late alongside Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush.
Meanwhile, the same supercomputer predicts hosts Morocco to win the tournament, beating Senegal 1-0 in the final after eliminating Uganda in the semi-finals.
Senegal are tipped to finish runners-up after knocking out defending champions Ivory Coast.
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