Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says too much football is being played amid scheduling concerns for the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
The Reds defeated Arsenal in midweek in an extraordinary 5-5 contest decided by a penalty shoot-out.
Youngster Curtis Jones grabbed the winning spot-kick to send the Reds into the last eight of the competition, where they will travel to Aston Villa.
However, the scheduling of the fixture has caused conflict because of other commitments for the club. They have been entered into the FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar after winning the Champions League last season.
That tournament takes place between December 11 and 21 and the League Cup quarter-final is due to be played on Wednesday, December 18.
The Premier League have already indicated they would be unwilling to move any fixtures to accommodate both the Aston Villa game and Liverpool’s participation in Qatar.
In his pre-match press conference before their weekend Premier League fixture, ironically also away at Aston Villa, Klopp says they would be willing to forfeit the game if no solution is found, with players being asked to play too many games. “If they don’t find a place for us – an appropriate place – not 3am on Christmas Day – then we don’t play it,” Klopp said. “We wonder why the best players in the world cannot perform as good as they can for as long as they want. Two weeks off a year is not enough.”
Liverpool are set for a busy December even if they do not play in the Club World Cup due to their Premier League and Champions League fixture pile-up.
They play five times in the Premier League as well as travelling to Red Bull Salzburg in their final Champions League group match on December 10.
It would not be the first time an English club has prioritised the FIFA-ratified tournament over a domestic cup competition.
In 2000, Manchester United chose to fly to Brazil to play in the inaugural edition and withdrew their entry to the FA Cup although that turned out to be a bad decision after they were knocked out in the group stage.
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