Liverpool’s fixture and strategy they can apply to cope with it

Liverpool could see another Premier League game postponed next month and a potential nightmare week of games

Liverpool’s FA Cup defense may have come to an untimely end at Brighton last month but their game overload could only get worse despite their early exit from the competition.

The Reds currently have two games in hand after their home game against Wolves and the trip to Chelsea last September were postponed following the death 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 place was earmarked for the fifth round of domestic cup competition but with the Reds knocking out the West Midlands outfit in the third round both can play their postponed game on that date.

Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk

However, no date has yet been confirmed for the trip to Chelsea, while at Liverpool another Premier League game could be postponed due to the FA Cup later in the season. Jurgen Klopp’s men are currently scheduled to face Fulham on Saturday 18 March at Anfield in their last game before the first international break since last year’s World Cup. However, the FA Cup quarter-finals are also scheduled for the same weekend.

After winning 3-2 at Sunderland in Wednesday night’s fourth round replay, Fulham are still playing in the FA Cup and host Leeds United in their fifth round match on Tuesday 28 February. If they beat the Peacocks, Liverpool’s home game against the Cottagers looks postponed.

With Chelsea scheduled to host Everton on Saturday 18 March, there is no chance the Reds will rearrange their schedule with the Londoners in lieu of Fulham. As a result, they could have two league games to win before the end of the season.

Meanwhile, there is no chance of Liverpool playing the postponed fixture with Chelsea before April due to both clubs’ current schedules. As the Reds’ next free midweek slot (Tuesday 7 March and Wednesday 8 March) falls between their home fixture with Manchester United on Sunday 5 March and their trip to AFC Bournemouth on Saturday 11 March, Londoners Borussia Dortmund will receive the midweek one in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16.
Technically they could play Fulham that week midweek, if their match against the Cottagers were to be rescheduled, but they need permission from UEFA to play a Premier League game on the same night as Champions League games.

Liverpool’s next available slot for such matches is 4th April (Tuesday) and 5th April (Wednesday). Between a trip to Man City and a home draw with Arsenal, the prospect of a triple header from Chelsea is less than ideal. With Fulham currently two places and three points ahead of Klopp’s men, it might not be much better to come up against these new domestic rivals.

Darwin Nunez

If Real Madrid were to eliminate the Reds from the Champions League, April 11 (Tuesday), April 12 (Wednesday), April 18 (Tuesday) and April 19 (Wednesday) would also all become free. However, they would again need UEFA’s permission to play on those dates, and if Chelsea play again in Europe, they could reschedule their meeting with Fulham for just those midweek dates.

Tuesday, May 2, May 3 (Wednesday), May 23 (Tuesday) and May 24 (Wednesday) are also free midweek game slots for rescheduled matches, with the remaining May midweek rounds (Tuesday, May 9, Wednesday, 10 May, Tuesday, May 16 and Wednesday May 17) worried about the Champions League semi-finals. Again, UEFA clearance is required to play on the final dates. If Liverpool go through to the Champions League round of 16, they won’t be able to play their postponed Premier League games until early April between Man City away and Arsenal at home or early and late May in the free slots between fights. at home with Tottenham. and Brentford and their home game with Aston Villa and the trip to Southampton on the final day of the season. On the last two dates, the two remaining games against Chelsea and Fulham could prove crucial for European qualification.

Klopp recently expressed his frustration at Liverpool taking on Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round over the weekend, particularly when they had Premier League games to play, rather than that round of play being slotted into one of the free midweek Premier League slots all January.

“With our tight schedule I’m not sure the FA Cup should have its own weekend, but now we have and it’s good to at least prepare,” he told reporters. . “But it will make other things more difficult as we still have two games on hand that someone needs to put somewhere, but no news on that yet and no idea when that will happen.”

With Liverpool still in the dark about this rearranged Chelsea game and the prospect of Fulham contributing to such an overload, Klopp’s frustration could grow even further.