Liverpool have confirmed they will field two different teams for their Carabao Cup quarter final against Aston Villa and the Fifa Club World Cup.
The last eight tie against Villa has been confirmed for Tuesday 17 December as originally scheduled, a day before the Reds are supposed to play their semi-final in Qatar on the 18th.
Jurgen Klopp previously threatened to withdraw his team from the League Cup if the fixture against Villa could not be appropriately scheduled.
He said: “If they don't find an appropriate place for us, not 3am on Christmas Day, then we don't play it," declared the Liverpool boss.
“They have to make that decision. You have to think about these things.
“If you have a fixture list where one team cannot be part of all the games, then you have to think about the fixture list.
“Hopefully it starts now. I really think that's fair, and this problem is obvious now. We will not be the victim of this problem.
“We play tonight, we wanted to win it, we did that, and if they don't find a proper date for us, then we cannot play the next round and whoever is our opponent will go through. Or Arsenal play them.”
But Liverpool have now confirmed that they will field two different teams in two difference continents to get around the fixture clash.
A Liverpool statement said: "We would like to thank the EFL for their efforts to accommodate us and we can confirm alternative dates were discussed, but ultimately none were considered suitable without compromising the scheduling of the competition itself or placing an undue strain on our playing staff.
"As a result, we will be utilising two playing squads simultaneously, with one squad participating in the Fifa Club World Cup in Qatar and another in the Carabao Cup.
"The club would like to take this opportunity to underline that while this is not an ideal scenario, it is an outcome which was arrived at with the best interests of the competition, our fellow clubs and ourselves as the sole motivating factor."
Arsenal fans had been hoping that Liverpool's reluctance to play in the competition could give them a route back, but it is Aston Villa who would progress automatically in the now unlikely event of Liverpool pulling out.
The EFL will only grant a ‘bye’ into the next round if there is no other solution. Rule 4.4 reads: "International and Representative matches and Football Association Cup Ties take precedence over matches in the Cup Competition. Any Club qualifying for a place in a UEFA club competition, up to a maximum of eight such Clubs, shall be exempt from participating in this Competition until Round Three.
"When the remaining number of Clubs entered is other than sixty-four the Management Committee shall arrange for byes where necessary. No Club shall have a bye in successive rounds of the Competition."
