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Swiss Law Will Force A Late Return For Reds

A local nighttime flight embargo means that the Reds who travel to Switzerland for the Europa League group stage finale will not be able to return to Liverpool until Friday afternoon. The situation could impact who makes the trip to the Alpine nation.

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

As if Jürgen Klopp didn't have enough to think about when making his mid-week team selection when accounting for injuries, fatigue, fixture congestion, and so on, he now has to contend with an extended stay in Switzerland.

Usually, Merseyside's finest fly back to Liverpool the same night as the match, but several factors will make that logistically impossible. The Reds will be flying in and out of Geneva, 160 km (100 miles, for those not metrically inclined) from Sion. Local laws in Geneva prohibit aircraft from taking off from midnight until 6 AM, thus grounding the team for the night.

When you travel enough, these things are normal, even if, in this moment it is not ideal. Although there are certainly worse places to be stranded for the night than Geneva, it may create problems with the Actual Baggies coming to Anfield on Sunday.

If Klopp was not tempted to leave many of the first-team regulars at home before, this conundrum might sway the gaffer's thinking.

There is a marginal benefit to winning the group stage when it comes to the knockout stage draw, with group winners and the four best third-place teams from Champions League (e.g. Manchester United) being placed in the "seeded" teams pot. However, this slight advantage might not outweigh the advantage of resting key players ahead of a busy December and January.

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