Report: Liverpool Debate Fielding 2 Teams on Same Night Due to Fixture Pile-Up

Liverpool's attempts to avoid fixture congestion could involve fielding two teams on the same night across different competitions in December. 

The Reds were drawn against Aston Villa in the 2019 Carabao Cup quarter-final after beating Arsenal 5-4 on penalties at Anfield on Wednesday night. It means cup duty could clash with Liverpool's participation in the FIFA World Club championships in Qatar on December 18.

Seeking a compromise, the Merseyside club has discussed with the English Football League "playing a team of youngsters at Villa Park on either December 17 or 18," per Chris Bascombe of the Daily Telegraph.

Bascombe explained how "that would create history as Klopp and his senior team will be in Qatar, where they play the semi-final of the FIFA World Club championships on December 18. A Liverpool team would have to play a senior fixture either on the same day, or within 24 hours of each other, in different continents."

Winning last season's UEFA Champions League qualified the Reds to participate in world football's governing body's winter tournament. Bascombe identified January 8, when the first legs of the last-four ties will begin, as a possible compromise.

Klopp anticipated the potential problem in the wake of beating Arsenal, even suggesting Liverpool could withdraw from the English League Cup if a solution suitable to the club isn't found, per another report from Bascombe.

There is a precedent for a club refusing to play in a domestic competition to honour a place in a FIFA tournament. Manchester United withdrew from the FA Cup in 1999, despite being holders, so the club's treble winners could compete in Brazil, a decision Sir Alex Ferguson admitted was a "mistake" a decade later.

Avoiding a similar situation with Liverpool will require negotiating some tricky logistics. Among them, Bascombe noted how the Reds would need 36 players to cover playing two teams in different time zones.

Young prospects like 19-year-old forward Rhian Brewster and winger Harvey Elliott, 16, who played against Arsenal, are considered likely for selection for the trip to Qatar.

The Reds may be forced into some difficult decision about when and where to deploy other academy graduates such as Neco Williams and Curtis Jones. Both impressed against the Gunners:

While the EFL is understanding of Liverpool's situation, according to Bascombe, the Reds may be required to "pay compensation" to Villa if they don't fulfil the tie.