Due to a hamstring injury, Mohamed Salah will be absent from Egypt’s crucial Africa Cup of Nations Group B match against Cape Verde on Monday.
The 31-year-old Liverpool forward will also be unavailable for a potential last-16 match if Egypt advances.
Salah was forced to leave the field before halftime during the 2-2 draw against Ghana on Thursday.
This outcome has placed the seven-time African champions in a situation where they must secure a victory against the already-qualified Cape Verde to ensure their advancement.
“Tests on Mohamed Salah, the captain of the Egypt national team, proved that he suffered a hamstring injury and will miss the next two matches of the team at the Afcon,” the Egyptian Football Association said.
Salah will therefore only feature in the tournament again if Egypt advance to a quarter-final on 2 or 3 February.
Earlier on Friday Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp suggested Salah’s hamstring problem was likely to be severe, given the forward had missed just 10 league games for the Reds in more than six seasons.
“He was shocked and couldn’t see why he was hit by something so intense,” said Klopp.
“You have these hamstring injuries in a different way. He felt it and we know how rarely Mo goes off, or needs to go off, so it is definitely something.”
The absence of Salah, who is on the verge of reaching 100 caps for his country, is a significant setback for Egypt. They have had a slow beginning to their campaign in the Ivory Coast, securing two points from two matches.
Salah played a crucial role in salvaging a 2-2 draw against Mozambique on Sunday, scoring a last-minute penalty following a VAR decision. This rescued Egypt from a potential embarrassing opening defeat, and they had to come from behind twice against Ghana as well.
Egypt’s last Africa Cup of Nations title was in 2010, a year before Salah made his international debut.