Liverpool and Chelsea will face a huge struggle in re-arranging their postponed Premier League fixture next year after being drawn in opposite weeks for the Champions League knockout stages.
The pair were due to play at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, September 18, but saw their fixture called off as London braced itself for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral on the Monday - the Reds also saw their home game against Wolverhampton Wanderers the weekend before cancelled just days after the Queen's passing.
Teams competing in European competition already face a huge problem in re-arranging said games, with unprecedented fixture congestion filling almost every midweek opportunity between now and the end of the season - thanks mainly to the upcoming six-week hiatus as players head to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup.
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The current schedule has three gaps during weeks in April and May, although all are specifically kept open to house Premier League fixtures affected by qualification into the Carabao Cup final, and FA Cup quarter-finals and semi-finals. One other possible solution for teams competing in the Champions League was to play midweek while the other side of the draw feature in Europe.
However, with Chelsea drawn into the first week of fixtures (February 15 and March 7) and Liverpool in the second (February 21 and March 15), that possibility is now gone.
As it stands, re-arranging the fixture on a later European night - presuming one of Liverpool or Chelsea get knocked out - is not allowed, as the Premier League is unable to schedule domestic games including any of the seven teams who qualify for European competition during those weeks. UEFA did soften their stance last season, allowing games postponed due to COVID to be re-arranged on a case-by-case basis.
It is not yet clear whether the governing body will do anything similar this year, although the Premier League's decision to postpone Arsenal vs Manchester City so the Gunners could face PSV Eindhoven in their Europa League fixture will have gone down well among the decision makers.
Below is the full schedule right through until the final Premier League weekend on May 28.
January 10 - Carabao Cup QF
January 17 - FA Cup R3 replays
January 24 - Carabao Cup SF L1
January 31 - Carabao Cup SF L2
February 7 - FA Cup R4 replays
February 14 - European competition knockouts
February 21 - European competition knockouts
February 28 - FA Cup R5
March 7 - European competition knockouts
March 14 - European competition knockouts
March 21 - International break
March 28 - International break
April 4 - vacant midweek
April 11 - European competition QF
April 18 - European competition QF
April 25 - Premier League fixtures
May 2 - vacant midweek
May 9 - European competition SF
May 16 - European competition SF
May 23 - vacant midweek
May 28 - Premier League final day
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