Liverpool has found its self in a tight spot, with the team is facing an unprecedented scenario of fielding two different teams, in two different competitions, in two different time zones.
Liverpool will play Aston Villa in the EFL Cup on December 17 as initially planned, despite their Club World Cup campaign beginning just 24 hours later. According to the Guardian, Liverpool will play two cup competitions on two continents in less than 24 hours next month after the EFL agreed to their request to stage the Carabao Cup quarter-final at Aston Villa as originally scheduled. Jürgen Klopp indicated the decision was made under pressure but was the least problematic solution available.
Jurgen Klopp previously threatened to withdraw his team from the League Cup if the fixture against Villa could not be appropriately scheduled. Klopp told a website, football.london, that "if they don't find an appropriate place for us, not 3am on Christmas Day, then we don't play it. 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."
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."
“In these exceptional circumstances the decision was taken having received clear assurances from the club that there will be a level of consistency in team selection, a feature which is key to ensuring integrity is maintained,” EFL Football Services Director, Dave Cookson, told the Telegraph UK.
