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With the Club World Cup on the horizon, we always knew it was going to be a busy December for Jürgen Klopp’s big red crushing machine, but with the league officially setting the dates today we get a stark reminder of it.
We also get some bad news for the fans, with news that Liverpool’s Boxing Day away to Leicester City has been pushed back to 8PM GMT to better suit broadcaster Amazon, leaving the travelling support with no way to get home.
Fortunately, the club have stepped up, offering a free bus service—minus a £5 reservation fee that will go to charity—for supporters attending the match. Still, it’s a shift that goes to show just how much the league takes its fans into account.
Elsewhere, the rest of the December kickoffs have no been firmed up, and along with the already announced CWC dates it means we now know exactly when Liverpool will be playing and can make any holiday plans accordingly.
Wed., Dec. 4th vs. Everton @ 8.15pm GMT
Sat., Dec. 7th at Bournemouth @ 3pm GMT
Tue., Dec. 10th at Salzburg @ 5.55pm GMT
Sat., Dec. 14th vs. Watford @ 12.30pm GMT
Wed., Dec. 18th Club World Cup Semi-Final @ 5.30pm GMT
Sat., Dec. 21st Club World Cup Final/Third Place Game @ 5.30pm GMT
Thu., Dec. 26th at Leicester @ 8pm GMT
Sun., Dec. 29th vs. Wolves @ 2pm GMT
Thu., Jan. 2nd vs. Sheffield @ 8pm GMT
Meanwhile, the fixture changes appear to have hit Manchester City harder than most, with their Boxing Day game against Wolves pushed back to the 27th, giving them less than 48 hours before they face Sheffield on the 29th.
That also means their day-after-Boxing-Day opponents Wolves have less than 48 hours before facing Liverpool on the 29th. As a result of the changes, City released an incensed statement to media mouthpiece The Manchester Evening News.
“We’re disappointed that the schedule is so tight for the players over Christmas,” said Chief Operating Officer Omar Berrada. “Premier League games are a huge physical demand, and it’s not ideal to be made to play twice in less than 48 hours.
“We obviously understand the paying rights-holding broadcasters are an important consideration, but we also need to make sure that we protect the players’ wellbeing, the sporting integrity of the league, and the quality of the product.
“We’ve had an open dialogue with the league to consider other options, but ultimately, we will have to comply with the kick off times and dates as they have been presented to us.”