Liverpool’s FA Cup defence might have come to a premature end away at Brighton last month, but their fixture congestion could be about to get even worse despite their early exit from the competition.
The Reds currently boast two games in hand after their home clash with Wolves and trip to Chelsea were both postponed last September following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
With Liverpool eliminated from the FA Cup, it has already been confirmed that they will now host Wolves on Wednesday 1 March. The midweek slot had been put aside for the fifth round of the domestic cup competition, but with the Reds knocking out the West Midlands outfit in the third round, both are free to play their postponed fixture on that date.
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However, no date has yet been confirmed for the trip to Chelsea, while Liverpool could see another Premier League fixture postponed as a result of the FA Cup later in the season.
Jurgen Klopp’s men are currently scheduled to take on Fulham at Anfield on Saturday 18 March in their final fixture before the first international break since last year’s World Cup. However, the FA Cup quarter-finals are also pencilled in for the same weekend.
Having won 3-2 away at Sunderland in their fourth round replay on Wednesday night, Fulham are still in the FA Cup and are scheduled to host Leeds United in their fifth round on Tuesday 28 February. Should they overcome the Peacocks, then Liverpool’s home clash with the Cottagers looks set to be postponed.
With Chelsea scheduled to host Everton on Saturday 18 March, there is no possibility of the Reds rearranging their fixture with the Londoners in place of Fulham. As a result, they could have two league fixtures they still need to squeeze in before the end of the season.
Meanwhile, there is no possibility of Liverpool playing their postponed meeting with Chelsea before April due to both club’s current commitments. While the Reds’ next free midweek slot (Tuesday, 7 March and Wednesday, 8 March) falls in between their home meeting with Manchester United on Sunday 5 March and the trip to AFC Bournemouth on Saturday 11 March, the Londoners host Borussia Dortmund that midweek in their own Champions League round-of-16 second leg.
They could technically face Fulham that midweek, if their clash with the Cottagers is in need of being rearranged, but would need permission from UEFA to play a Premier League fixture the same night as Champions League matches.
Liverpool’s next available slot for such fixtures would be 4 April (Tues) and 5 April (Weds). Coming in between a trip to Man City and home clash with Arsenal, the prospect of Chelsea making that a treble-header is far from ideal. Considering Fulham are currently two places and three points ahead of Klopp’s men, perhaps locking horns with these newly-found domestic rivals isn’t much better.
Should Real Madrid knock the Reds out of the Champions League, 11 April (Tues), 12 April (Weds), 18 April (Tues), and 19 April (Weds) would also all become free. However, they would again need UEFA permission to play on such dates, and, if Chelsea are still competing in Europe, would only be able to rearrange their clash with Fulham for such midweeks
Tuesday 2 May, 3 May (Weds), 23 May (Tues) and 24 May (Weds) are also free midweek game-slots for rearranged fixtures, with the remaining May midweeks (Tuesday, 9 May, Wednesday, 10 May, Tuesday, 16 May and Wednesday, 17 May) taken up by the Champions League semi-finals. Again, UEFA permission is required to play on the latter dates.
Should Liverpool progress throughout the Champions League knock-out stages, they will only be able play their postponed Premier League matches at the start of April, between Man City away and Arsenal at home, or in the free slots at the start and end of May between home clashes with Tottenham and Brentford, and their home meeting with Aston Villa and trip to Southampton on the final day of the season. If the latter two set of dates, both outstanding games against Chelsea and Fulham could prove to be decisive when it comes to European qualification.
Klopp recently vocalised his frustrations that Liverpool were facing Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round on a weekend, especially when they had Premier League fixtures outstanding, rather than that round of fixtures being pencilled in for one of the free midweek slots Premier League sides had enjoyed throughout January.
“In our tight schedule, I’m not sure if the FA Cup should have its own weekend but now we have and it and that’s good to prepare at least,” he told reporters. “But it will make other things more difficult as we still have two games in hand, which somebody has to fit in somewhere but no news about that yet and no clue when that will happen.”
With Liverpool still in the dark when it comes to that rearranged Chelsea fixture and the prospect of Fulham adding to such congestion, Klopp’s frustrations could continue to grow.
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