Liverpool have two Premier League fixtures they must fit into their schedule after they were postponed due to the Queen’s death last September. So, when could they potentially be played?
Jurgen Klopp‘s side now only have two competitions on their schedule after being knocked out of both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, leaving space for their postponed fixtures to be rearranged.
The visit of Wolves (Sept 10) and Liverpool’s trip to Chelsea (Sept 18) were both postponed due to the Queen’s death last year and no new date has yet been set for either match.
Prior to the trip to Brighton, Klopp said there had been “no news” on when the fixtures could be re-scheduled, but Liverpool’s exit from the FA Cup should open the door to a number of possible dates.
With both Chelsea and Wolves also out of both domestic cups, their schedules can now more easily align, but it is still easier said than done for organisers to rearrange these games.
Dates available to rearrange 2 games
- February 7/8 – unlikely due to short notice
- February 28/March 1 – unlikely due to overlap with televised games
- March 7/8 – only vs. Wolves, Chelsea play in Champions League
- April 4/5
- May 2/3 – may become unavailable due to King’s coronation
- May 23/24
Some dates are more likely than others to be sought out by organisers when you also consider clashes with other televised cup competitions, including the Champions League.
UEFA would need to grant the Premier League permission to play on the same night as Champions League knockout games, which fall on April 11/12 and 18/19, in addition to May 9/10 and 16/17.
If Liverpool or Chelsea are involved in the quarter-final or semi-final stages that would rule out any rearranged fixture falling during the abovementioned dates, leaving few alternatives.
The King’s coronation on May 6 will almost certainly shift the Premier League‘s schedule and could take May 2/3 off the board as fixtures move into midweek to accommodate the celebrations.
Liverpool’s match with Chelsea, scheduled for September 18, was selected for broadcast by Sky Sports and that adds another layer of complication as they will not want to compete with terrestrial TV or BT Sport for viewers.
The same issue does not exist for the Anfield meeting against Wolves as it was originally handed a 3pm kick-off time (not televised in the UK).
Plenty of opportunities to rearrange these fixtures have come and gone but it is time to lock in a date for both games, especially for the sake of supporters and the arrangements they need to make.
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