"It is not the first time" – Jurgen Klopp explains how Liverpool will cope in Mohamed Salah's absence as Egyptian is set to leave for AFCON

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has opened up on his plans to cope in Mohamed Salah's Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)-induced absence.

Salah, 31, is set to depart the Reds' camp after their Premier League clash against Newcastle United on Monday (January 1). He will join Egypt men's national team's preparations in the first week of January.

At a pre-match press conference, Klopp was asked to opine on Salah's absence in next year's first few weeks. He replied (h/t Independent):

"It is not the first time, it is a really very average situation that you lose your goalscorer but we had it even worse in the past when Sadio [Mane] and Mo left. We came somehow through it and traditionally one of them went pretty far in the tournament, which made it worse."

Klopp, who has guided Liverpool to 19 wins out of 28 this term, added:

"We knew the Africa Cup of Nations from time to time appears and Mo has to go and we have [Wataru] Endo as a participant of the Asia Cup as well, so it is like it is. We have to deal with it and we will."

Salah, whose current contract is set to run out in June 2025, has been in fine form this campaign. The left-footed winger has netted 16 goals and laid out eight assists in 26 games across all competitions so far.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are expected to rely on Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, and Darwin Nunez in the ex-Chelsea attacker's absence.

Jurgen Klopp remarks on Liverpool's league clash against Newcastle United on Monday

Speaking at a pre-match presser, Jurgen Klopp claimed that Liverpool will be wary of Newcastle's threat this Monday. He opined (h/t Echo):

"I am too long in the business to know anything can happen. Newcastle did incredibly well. It's unlucky that they have that number of injuries. They had good spells in the games they lost. They have a really good idea, but Eddie [Howe] had to play the same lineup too often. The guys who play all the time are tired and the guys who come back have no rhythm – we had that situation plenty of times."

Liverpool, who finished fifth last season, are atop the 2023-24 league table with 42 points from 19 outings. Newcastle, on the other hand, are ninth with 29 points from the same number of Premier League games.

In terms of head-to-head record, the Anfield outfit have registered 10 victories and four draws in their last 14 meetings against the Magpies.