Liverpool is embroiled in a furious row with the Football League after being ordered to play their Carling Cup quarter-final against Chelsea just 48 hours after a key Premier League fixture.
The Merseyside club is unhappy they must travel to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, Nov 29, two days after they face Manchester City at Anfield.
An appeal to both the tournament organisers and the Premier League to rethink the schedule to preserve the integrity of the cup competition has been rejected.
City find themselves in the same position as Liverpool, as they must travel to London to face Arsenal in their quarter final immediately after their visit to Liverpool.
However, Robert Mancini’s side — with a vastly deeper squad and other priorities — are understood to be more relaxed about honouring both fixtures within such a short period.
Liverpool had expected to head to Chelsea for a Wednesday evening kick-off, but the Football League claimed it could not do so because of Metropolitan Police advice.
There is a TUC rally in central London on that day and Spurs are playing at home to PAOK Salonika in the Europa League.
These explanations hold little sway with Liverpool, who do not believe they should suffer as a consequence of other commitments in the capital city, especially with other dates available in the fixture calendar.
Manager Kenny Dalglish is deeply concerned Liverpool will not have any time to train for a game ranked as one of the most important of their season.
After a brief warm down on Monday after the City game, Liverpool will have to make their 200-mile journey to London and play with minimal preparation.
Chelsea, in comparison, play Wolves at home on Saturday, Nov 26, giving them an obvious advantage. Liverpool appealed to the Football League for this to be taken into consideration. They asked for the quarter-final to be played in the week of the semi-final, commencing Jan 9.
When that was refused, both Liverpool and City asked the Premier League to bring forward their league meeting by 24 hours. This was deemed impossible because of live television commitments.
Liverpool is especially unhappy with their treatment given how they have supported the League Cup, not only throughout their history, but during the course of this season.
They boast the record number of wins in the tournament and the record number of appearances in the final.
Dalglish has played a strong side throughout the early rounds this season and it has become a major priority due to a lack of European competition. He is determined to lift the club’s first trophy since 2006.
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