Liverpool have formally requested that the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg away to Arsenal is postponed after raising COVID cases and reduced player availability.
Tweets have been shared by Paul Joyce from The Times and David Lynch from the Mirror:
Liverpool have formally requested their Carabao Cup semi-final, first leg with Arsenal be postponed following a further Covid-19 outbreak.
— paul joyce (@_pauljoyce) January 4, 2022
Liverpool have lodged a request with the EFL to postpone Thursday’s League Cup meeting with Arsenal due to an increase in Covid cases and other player availability issues.
— David Lynch (@dmlynch) January 4, 2022
There is also a full statement by the club which reads: ‘Liverpool Football Club can confirm an application has been submitted for the postponement of Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final, first-leg tie with Arsenal due to an escalating number of suspected positive COVID-19 cases and player availability.
‘The Reds have formally requested to the EFL that the fixture is rescheduled after further suspected positive tests were registered among players and staff, allied to other factors impacting selection, including illness and injury.
‘In response, the club halted preparations at the AXA Training Centre, meaning Tuesday’s first-team training session was cancelled. Among the considerations which led to today’s application to the EFL is the need for travelling supporters to be given as much notice as possible of any potential postponement.
‘With no prospect of the current situation improving ahead of Thursday’s fixture and the potential for it to worsen, the club considers it both prudent and reasonable to ask for the fixture to be rescheduled.
‘Liverpool FC will offer a further update on the application process, as well as the resumption of training, in due course.’
It’s a worry of how many cases are being found in our camp and we may be the latest team to have a few games break as our staff and players recover from the outbreak.
This will all be combined with injury issues and the absence of some of our African stars to AFCON, these won’t be used as an excuse but when there are no remaining players to use – this is the only possible outcome.
Being so staunch in support of keeping games being played, it would suggest a significantly increased amount of cases.
We’ll wait and see how this pans out and fingers crossed for the safest and healthiest outcome for all players, staff and supporters, is found.
#Ep28 of The Red Nets Podcast (Special Edition): The Koppies Awards…
If this was the 3rd round – Liverpool would field a young team. Now that it’s a semi-final and with the Prem title all but gone – they are trying to gain time to get 1st team players back including their Afcon stars. It’s so obviously a scam. Orient were kicked out of the competition last season when they couldn’t field a team due to covid – the same has to happen to Liverpool – and I bet that threat will somehow have them miraculously field a team!