The new Premier League campaign will get underway on August 14, but along with adding fixtures to the diary, Liverpool will need to factor in five international breaks.
It seems that, when the season is in play, an international break is never far away.
That will be the same as ever in 2021/22, with it an even busier calendar for national teams – with a major tournament still to play mid-season, along with postponed World Cup qualifiers.
So when are the five international breaks Liverpool fans need to look out for next season, and who could be in action?
August 30 to September 8
The first international break of the season comes just over a fortnight after the campaign opener at Norwich on August 14.
This will include World Cup qualifiers, with England to play Hungary (Sep 2), Andorra (Sep 5) and Poland (Sep 8).
October 4 to October 13
Under a month later, Klopp’s squad will depart again for qualifiers and friendlies in October.
Unlike last season, those within UEFA are only set for two fixtures in the October break, after having seen national teams organise an additional friendly during breaks in 2020/21.
Nations in AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa) and CONMEBOL (South America) are also scheduled for two fixtures.
November 8 to November 16
The final break of 2021 will see a similar arrangement to in October, with UEFA, AFC, CAF and CONMEBOL nations all permitted to play two fixtures.
Africa Cup of Nations
From January 9 to February 6, 2022, the AFCON is set to take place in Cameroon.
This will see Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita involved for Egypt, Senegal and Guinea, meaning they will miss the FA Cup third round (Jan 8/9) and clashes with Brentford (Jan 15) and Crystal Palace (Jan 22).
January 24 to February 1
While those within UEFA will be afforded a winter break between January 23 and February 7, nations in AFC and CONMEBOL have postponed World Cup qualifiers to play.
Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino should all be part of the Brazil squad to play Ecuador (Jan 27) and Paraguay (Feb 1), while Takumi Minamino will also be involved for Japan.
- Fixture before: Crystal Palace (A)
- Fixture after: Leicester (H)
March 21 to March 29
March will see two more fixtures for UEFA, AFC, CAF and CONMEBOL, which will fall between Liverpool’s home clashes with Man United (Mar 19) and Watford (Apr 2).
After the March break, the Reds will have eight uninterrupted Premier League fixtures to focus on, along with – hopefully – the knockout stages of the Champions League.
- Fixture before: Man United (H)
- Fixture after: Watford (H)
