Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool have lost the advantage in their Carabao Cup semi-final with Arsenal after the second leg at Anfield was re-arranged.
The Reds were due to play the first leg at the Emirates last week but were forced to request a postponement following a spate of suspected COVID-19 cases that were eventually proven to be false positives.
As a result of the re-arrangement, the EFL decided that Thursday's match at Anfield would instead be the first meeting of the tie with the return game to come in London on January 20.
Klopp accepts that means his side have now lost the edge, but says there was little that could have been done about the situation when Liverpool were forced to close their AXA Training Centre for 48 hours last week.
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"Of course [playing at home first] makes a difference," Klopp said. "It makes a difference.
"If you win both games it makes no difference, obviously, but especially with the power Anfield can produce.
"Yes, it is a difference, but we cannot change that.
"We could not play last Thursday, that was how it was and that is why we have to take it like it is
"We have no problem with that. But yes, it makes a difference."
Liverpool last played the Gunners at Anfield on November 20 when the Reds ran out 4-0 winners on the night and Klopp says the recency of that game will inform his strategy against Mikel Arteta on Thursday.
He added: "[November's game] is influential.
"We use these pictures, we use others. Obviously since then Arsenal, they were in a good moment then, and they are now maybe in an even better one. They play some exciting football.
"Mikel is doing an exceptional job there, having a lot of young boys in his front three plus Alexandre Lacazette, who they usually play with. It is really exciting to watch.
"They have a good set-up, a clear idea. So I think they have improved a lot between then and now and they were already good then. We just played really well against them."
"So that is the team we will face. It is a tricky draw."
