With Sunday’s game against Chelsea postponed, Liverpool find themselves in the midst of a 17-day gap between games, ahead of a stretch in which they will play 13 games in six weeks before the World Cup.
With the date confirmed for Liverpool’s League Cup clash with Derby, we now know all the details of Liverpool’s schedule ahead of the World Cup.
The Reds’ clash with Brighton on October 1 will mark the start of a brutal 42 days, with eight Premier League games, the remaining four in the Champions League group stage, as well as the League Cup tie. against Derby.
After a strange September, interrupted by two postponements before the last international matches, the Reds will be back in the deep end, with two games per week until the World Cup break.
Following the league encounter with Brighton, Liverpool will face Rangers home and away in a Champions League doubleheader either side of a trip to Arsenal.
Four days after his visit to Ibrox, on Sunday 16 October he plays Manchester City at home, before West Ham travel to Anfield the following Wednesday, and the third league game in seven days against Nottingham Forest.
After that, the Reds will wrap up their Champions League group stage campaign with their final two group matches against Ajax on October 26 and Napoli on November 1.
Sandwiched between those games is a home draw against Leeds, with kick-off times yet to be confirmed, before Liverpool wrap up their pre-World Cup schedule with a League Cup clash against Derby and a league match with Southampton.
Liverpool calendar until the World Cup
Brighton (H) – Saturday October 1 Rangers (H) – Champions League – Tuesday October 4 Arsenal (A) – Sunday October 9 Rangers (A) – Champions League – Wednesday October 12 Man City (H) – Sunday October 16 West Ham (H) – Wednesday October 19 Nottm. Forest (A) – Saturday October 22 Ajax (A) – Champions League – Wednesday October 26 Leeds (H) – Saturday October 29 Napoli (H) – Champions League – Tuesday November 1 Tottenham (A) – Sunday November 1 6 Derby (H) – League Cup Third Round – Wednesday November 9 Southampton (H) – Saturday November 12
It promises to be a truly brutal six weeks, with Jurgen Klopp desperately in need of some good news on the injury front after the September international break.
The impact of the return of Thiago and Diogo Jota was evident to all in the win against Ajax, and it is now imperative that more key players return to action in the coming weeks.
In total, nine players missed the victory over the Dutch champions, with Caoimhin Kelleher, Ibrahima Konate, Calvin Ramsay, Andy Robertson, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones and Kaide Gordon all absent.
Judging by Klopp’s most recent updates, Kelleher, Konate, Robertson and Henderson are the most likely candidates to return shortly after the international break.
Try and enjoy the break, Reds, because it really is a non-stop in October and November!
