October 05, (THEWILL) – Liverpool’s appeal to postpone their match against Watford has been denied, meaning Jurgen Klopp may be without his Brazilians for the game.
Alisson Becker, Fabinho, and Roberto Firmino are all expected to play in Brazil’s rescheduled World Cup qualifier against Uruguay on October 15, just 24 hours before Liverpool’s match against Watford.
Liverpool requested a postponement of the match from the Premier League, but they were turned down due to resistance from the Hornets.
Watford contended that rescheduling the game at such short notice would be unfair to fans who had already made travel arrangements, while Liverpool claimed that they, along with the other clubs with Brazilian players, would be at a disadvantage.
The impact will go beyond just Liverpool. Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Leeds United, and Aston Villa all have South American players in their squads and may be without them for the first Premier League match following the international break.
However, instead of addressing the English league, Tottenham has approached Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia to arrange early releases for their players.
Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero of Argentina, Davinson Sanchez of Colombia, and Emerson Royal of Brazil are all slated to travel late to England, ruling them out of the match against Newcastle on October 17.
During the last international break, Spurs and Argentina made a similar agreement. Although Lo Celso and Romero were released before their country’s last match, quarantine laws required them to spend ten days in seclusion.
Special exceptions have been provided this time for Premier League players travelling to South America. Those engaged must agree to live in an elite bubble, and their clubs have agreed to divide the expense of a private plane to transport their stars back to their respective clubs.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
