After 17 days without playing for the first team, Liverpool plunge into the depths of a hectic October in which they will play nine games in four weeks.
The Reds’ Anfield encounter with Brighton marks the start of 13 games in the space of six weeks, before their campaign comes to a halt for the World Cup.
October will also bring up Jurgen Klopp’s seventh anniversary as Liverpool manager.
This month there are five matches for the women’s and under-21 teams, as well as eight for the under-18s, including three UEFA Youth League ties.
As the months go by, Liverpool’s October couldn’t be busier.
Here are the key dates to put on your diary this month, including first-team, women’s and academy matches.
October 1 – Brighton (Time)
On the first day of the month, the Reds return to action with a home clash against Brighton.
It will be Liverpool’s first game in 17 days, but Brighton have not played in 27 days, following the postponement of their matches at Bournemouth and at home to Crystal Palace.
This game marks the beginning of a new era for the Seagulls, with Roberto Di Zerbi in charge for his first game as manager, following Graham Potter’s move to Chelsea.
Oct 4 – Ranger (H)
Liverpool secured their first Champions League win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Ajax on September 13, and will be looking for a further three points when they take on Rangers.
These two teams have never met in a competitive match.
This will be the first of two meetings against the Scottish team in less than a week, with the European games coming up fast before the World Cup break.
7 years of Jurgen
Saturday October 8 will mark Klopp’s seventh anniversary as Liverpool manager.
The club’s last seven-year manager was Bob Paisley, which gives an idea of ​​the impact Klopp has had during his time at Anfield.
We’ve come a long way since the boss first appeared on Merseyside back in 2015!
October 9 – Arsenal (A)
The Reds’ first away game of the month comes against high-flying Arsenal, who start the month at the top of the Premier League.
The Emirates were a happy hunting ground for Liverpool last season, but there’s every chance this will be a bigger test given Arsenal’s fine form and the Reds’ insane schedule.
Oct 12 – Ranger (A)
Three days later, Liverpool travel to Glasgow to face Rangers again, in what should be a momentous occasion at Ibrox.
Two wins against Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men would put the Reds in a very strong position in Group A.
October 16 – City of Man (H)
That Community Shield win over Man City feels like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it?
On Sunday October 16, Klopp and Pep Guardiola meet again. It is a game that rarely disappoints. Three points for Liverpool would give them a huge boost ahead of the rest of their World Cup pre-matches.
At the start of the season, the Liverpool manager said it “would make sense” to beat City in at least one of the two league games if any club had aspirations of finishing above them. Here is the first opportunity.
Oct 19 – West Ham (H)
There is no Champions League game this week, but another Premier League fixture, with West Ham visiting Anfield just three days after that clash with City.
Klopp will have no choice but to rotate the players he has at his disposal this month.
Let’s hope the Reds have better luck on the injury front than they have so far this season.
Oct 22 – Nottingham Forest (A)
Liverpool got a taste of the atmosphere on the city field in their FA Cup clash against Forest last season, and will return to Nottingham for a Premier League encounter with Steve Cooper’s side later this month.
Adjusted result for this one, with the game starting at 12:30 pm on Saturday, October 22, after having played the previous Wednesday.
Don’t be surprised if Jurgen has something to say about that programming in the build up!
October 26 – Ajax (A)
Liverpool’s penultimate Champions League group stage match will see them travel to Amsterdam to take on Ajax.
If it’s anything like the first game between these teams in September, Liverpool should have too much for the Dutch champions, but who knows what state the team will be in at this point in the month!
Three wins from the two games against Rangers and the trip to Ajax would likely give Klopp a chance to rest some key players in the final group game against Napoli in November.
Oct 29 – Leeds (H)
Last but not least for the first team, there is a home clash with Leeds on Saturday 29th October.
This game was originally scheduled for Sunday but was moved up a day due to Liverpool’s League Cup clash with Derby on Tuesday 9 October.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:45 pm An unusual start for a Saturday and yet another late game!
Liverpool matches, October
First team
Brighton (H) – Premier League – Saturday 1st October, 15:00 Rangers (H) – Champions League – Tuesday 4th October, 20:00 Arsenal (A) – Premier League – Sunday 9th October, 16:30 Rangers (A) – Champions League – Wednesday, October 12, 8:00 p.m. Man City (H) – Premier League – Sunday, October 16, 4:30 p.m. West Ham (H) – Premier League – Wednesday, October 19, 19 :30 p.m. Nottingham Forest (A) – Premier League – Saturday October 22, 12:30 p.m. Ajax (A) – Champions League – Wednesday October 26, 8:00 p.m. Leeds (H) – Premier League – Saturday October 29, 7:45 p.m.
Women
Sunderland (A) – League Cup – Sunday October 2, 11.30am Tottenham (A) – WSL – Sunday October 16, 2pm Arsenal (H) – WSL – Sunday October 23, 12pm Leicester (A) – League Cup – Wednesday October 26, 7pmMan City (A) – WSL – Sunday October 30, 2pm
under-21
Arsenal (H) – PL2 – Saturday 1st October, 14:00 Wolves (H) – PL2 – Saturday 8th October, 14:00 Accrington (A) – EFL Trophy – Tuesday 18th October, 19:45 Everton (H) – PL2 – Saturday October 22, 14:00 West Ham (A) – PL2 – Sunday October 30, 12:00
under-18
Nottingham Forest (H) – U18 PL – Saturday, October 1, 12:30 p.m. Rangers (H) – UEFA Youth League – Tuesday, October 4, 1:00 p.m. Charlton (A) – U18 PL Cup – Saturday, 8 October, 11am Rangers (A) – UEFA Youth League – Wednesday 12th October, 3pm Blackburn (A) – U18 PL – Saturday 15th October, 11am Stoke (H) – U18 PL – Saturday, October 22, 11:00 a.m. Ajax (A) – UEFA Youth League – Wednesday, October 26, 2:00 p.m. Wolves (A) ) – U18 PL – Saturday, October 29, 12:00 p.m.
