The League Cup semi-final first-leg between Liverpool and Arsenal scheduled to be played on Thursday has been postponed due to Covid-19 outbreak at the club.
Liverpool had revealed that there were a few positive Covid cases at the club with manager Jurgen Klopp also contracting the virus.
Klopp was absent when his team travelled to Stamford Bridge on Sunday with assistant Pep Lijnders having to fill in for him.
However, it has also been revealed that Lijnders has also tested positive for the virus as the club records a spike in the number of cases.
On Tuesday evening, Liverpool confirmed that they had formally requested the first leg semi-final tie against Arsenal be postponed.
Their statement read: “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.
The semi-final tie was subsequently called off and moved to a later date after the appeal was granted.
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Liverpool were forced to close down their training centre on Wednesday. The Reds confirmed that their AXA Training Centre had been temporarily closed in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.
They also cancelled their scheduled pre-match conference scheduled for Wednesday, a day before the match.
The EFL released a statement confirming that the game scheduled to take place at the Emirates Stadium will now be rescheduled.
The statement reads: “The first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final between Arsenal and Liverpool scheduled for Thursday 6 January 2022 has been postponed following a formal request by Liverpool due to a severe outbreak of Covid infections amongst their management and playing staff.
“As a result of the postponement, the order of the ties has now changed with the first of the two legs to take place at Anfield on 13 January 2022 at 7.45pm. The rearranged game (now the 2nd leg) is scheduled to be played at the Emirates on 20 January 2022 at 7.45pm.”
The winners across both legs will progress to the final where they will face either Chelsea or Tottenham who play their own first tie on Wednesday night.
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