Jurgen Klopp’s frustration with the fixture schedule could increase this weekend with Liverpool resigned to being without their Brazilian internationals but Tottenham set to make their South Americans available.
Klopp expects to be without Alisson Becker and Fabinho for their 12.30pm game against Watford on Saturday as they face Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier in the early hours of Friday and the logistics of getting players back and in the right physical and mental shape to play a Premier League match the next day is impractical.
Spurs, however, have the TV game 28 hours later and their returning players will fly back by private jet to be assessed whether they can face Saudi Sportswashing Machine in their opponent’s first game under new Saudi Arabian ownership.
Argentina pair Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero, Brazilian full-back Emerson Royal and Colombia centre-back Davinson Sanchez were not given early releases and also play on Thursday and the early hours of Friday.
But they will fly directly back after their matches and sleep at Spurs’ training ground at Bulls Cross, Enfield, as part of the conditions to allow them to play after visiting a “red-list” country during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Spurs are also checking whether they must travel to the north-east separately from the rest of Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad to satisfy coronavirus safety protocols. But there is confidence that Nuno will have his South American players back to assess before deciding whether they are fit to play against Saudi Sportswashing Machine.
Lo Celso and Romero are expected to start in the World Cup qualifier against Peru in the early hours of Friday morning before dashing back to Europe. Davinson and Emerson were both on the bench when Colombia and Brazil played out a goalless draw on Sunday and they will be in a better position to play for Spurs if they are among the substitutes again for their next matches.
I guess we'll be hearing a lot more about this now that it's affecting Liverpool instead of us.
Klopp expects to be without Alisson Becker and Fabinho for their 12.30pm game against Watford on Saturday as they face Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier in the early hours of Friday and the logistics of getting players back and in the right physical and mental shape to play a Premier League match the next day is impractical.
Spurs, however, have the TV game 28 hours later and their returning players will fly back by private jet to be assessed whether they can face Saudi Sportswashing Machine in their opponent’s first game under new Saudi Arabian ownership.
Argentina pair Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero, Brazilian full-back Emerson Royal and Colombia centre-back Davinson Sanchez were not given early releases and also play on Thursday and the early hours of Friday.
But they will fly directly back after their matches and sleep at Spurs’ training ground at Bulls Cross, Enfield, as part of the conditions to allow them to play after visiting a “red-list” country during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Spurs are also checking whether they must travel to the north-east separately from the rest of Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad to satisfy coronavirus safety protocols. But there is confidence that Nuno will have his South American players back to assess before deciding whether they are fit to play against Saudi Sportswashing Machine.
Lo Celso and Romero are expected to start in the World Cup qualifier against Peru in the early hours of Friday morning before dashing back to Europe. Davinson and Emerson were both on the bench when Colombia and Brazil played out a goalless draw on Sunday and they will be in a better position to play for Spurs if they are among the substitutes again for their next matches.
I guess we'll be hearing a lot more about this now that it's affecting Liverpool instead of us.
