#fixture-congestion

#fixture-congestion

Arsenal have voiced strong opposition to Crystal Palace's request that their Carabao Cup quarter-final be played on 23 December, with Mikel Arteta insisting it would not be fair to make both teams play two matches in little more than 48 hours. The tie is scheduled for Tuesday 16 December in a gruelling run of three matches in five days for Palace, who have a Premier League game at home to Manchester City two days earlier and a Conference League fixture against KuPS on 18 December.

A record-breaking nine English sides will play European football in 2025-26 - Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle and Tottenham in the Champions League; Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in the Europa League; and Crystal Palace in the Conference League. But will those clubs who are not in Europe be able to capitalise on having a less hectic fixture schedule and more rest between matches? When Leicester City shocked the footballing world to win the Premier League in 2015-16, they only played 43 games in all competitions, with no European distractions.

Liverpool have made an excellent start to their Premier League title defense, standing as the only English team to claim nine points from nine. But the season is about to intensify, with the Reds facing two EPL matches, a Champions League clash, and a Carabao Cup tie across their next four contests as they dive deeper into their campaign. With this packed fixture list ahead, let's break down Liverpool's next four opponents and how I expect each match to unfold.