Liverpool Might Forfeit their Carabao Cup Quarter-final Place due to the World Club Championships

Andy Clark
Liverpool progressed to the last eight of the Carabao Cup last night thanks to a penalties victory over Arsenal. That came after a thrilling 5-5 draw in normal time, secured in the last minute by an acrobatic volley from Divok Origi. But fixture congestion around December is a real issue for Jurgen Klopp’s side, who are due to play in the World Club Championships in Qatar the same week as the Carabao Cup quarter finals are scheduled to take place. This has led Klopp to say that his side might have to forfeit the match and “Our opponents will progress.”  

When is the World Club Championships?

The semi-final of the World Club Championships that Liverpool are scheduled to be involved in takes place on the 18th December. There will then be a third-placed play-off or a final to play three days later. Liverpool have already had to postpone their Premier League fixture with West Ham that was scheduled for that weekend and a date has not yet been confirmed.  

When are the Carabao Cup quarter-finals?

The Carabao Cup quarter finals are scheduled to take place the week commencing the 16th December – this gives Liverpool no time to play their last-eight fixture in the scheduled slots. Liverpool play Watford in the 12.30pm kick-off on Saturday 14th December before travelling out to Qatar for their fixture four days later. The Reds are then due back in England just a couple of days before their Boxing Day fixture with Leicester City.  

Jurgen Klopp suggests Liverpool might forfeit the Carabao Cup

After the 5-5 draw with Arsenal, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: “If they can’t find the proper date for us and I don’t mean Christmas Day 3am… then we can’t play the game. Our opponents will progress. “We will not be the victims of this problem. “Hopefully it starts now that they think about the fixtures. “I think a lot of people from the Premier League were watching on TV hoping Arsenal do it. Sorry!” He added: “FIFA tells us we have to go to the Club World Cup, the Premier League tell us we have to play in the Carabao Cup so we try to play it, but if we don’t find time it will not happen in our winter break or whatever they give us, because we need that. “So, I don’t care to be honest. It just shows what the problem is. Everybody wants us to play constantly, we’ve just thought about tonight – we’re not thinking about the next round.”  

Liverpool youngster scores the winning penalty

Liverpool’s passage to the quarter-finals of the League Cup was secured with a penalty shootout win. After Arsenal missed one of their penalties, it was left to Reds youngster Curtis Jones to step up and score the fifth penalty. His strike went in off the post and sent Anfield into raptures.