Liverpool’s request to postpone Carabao Cup semi-final at Arsenal approved by EFL after further Covid cases

Liverpool’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Arsenal on Thursday has been postponed after the EFL accepted a request from the Merseyside club following further cases of Covid in their squad.

Liverpool announced earlier on Wednesday their training ground would be closed for at least 48 hours and that Jurgen Klopp’s assistant, Pep Lijnders, had tested positive. Lijnders was due to take the team as Klopp himself is also isolating.

A request for postponement was submitted on Tuesday after the latest round of testing found more cases within the first-team bubble. Klopp and three players – Alisson Becker, Roberto Firmino and Joel Matip – were forced to miss Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Chelsea after testing positive.

An EFL statement on Wednesday confirmed the rearranged fixture will now be played in a fortnight on Thursday January 20 and will be treated as the second leg semi-final. Both games are live on Sky Sports Football.

As a result of the rescheduled Carabao Cup semi final dates, Arsenal’s Premier League match at home to Burnley will now take place on Sunday January 23 at 2pm.

“The EFL has been in regular dialogue with the club over the past 48 hours in an attempt to understand whether the tie could proceed but significant developments over this period have resulted in the club reporting an ever-increasing number of COVID cases,” a statement read.

“Having now fully reviewed the circumstances involved, the League has accepted Liverpool’s request after determining, albeit reluctantly, that a postponement was the only option as the club looks to mitigate against the further risk of infection amongst its squad and staff alongside ensuring public health was protected by not travelling from Liverpool to London.