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Sport | Football
Packed fixture schedule makes finding an ideal date for rearranged Goodison Park clash difficult
George Flood2 minutes ago
A new date must now be found for Everton vs Liverpool after Saturday’s latest Merseyside derby showdown was postponed.
Goodison Park had been due to stage its final-ever Premier League clash with the Reds at lunchtime with Everton moving to their new 52,888-capacity stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock in the summer, only for the game to be called off just under four hours before kick-off on safety grounds due to the adverse weather conditions caused by Storm Darragh.
Everton said in a statement: “Following a Safety Advisory Group meeting at Goodison Park, attended by officials from both clubs, as well as representatives from Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council this morning, it was decided that, due to the risk to safety in the local area due to strong wind gusts, and an amber severe wind warning that remains in place until 6am on Sunday, today’s fixture should be postponed on safety grounds.
“We apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank supporters for their understanding.
Manchester City can also move back within six points of the summit if they make it back-to-back wins against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, with that game going ahead as planned on Saturday along with Brentford vs Newcastle, Aston Villa vs Southampton and Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest.
15th-place Everton - who ended a five-match winless run by thumping fellow strugglers Wolves in midweek in a crucial result for Sean Dyche - may also find themselves back closer to the relegation zone by the time they next play away at Arsenal next Saturday, with all five teams below them scheduled to be in action.
Everton and Liverpool fans have already been scouring the calendar to spot a potential new date for the Merseyside derby, the second instalment of which this season is not due to take place at Anfield until April 2.
A swift rearrangement for the coming midweek would not have been possible anyway, but even if it were Liverpool find themselves in Champions League action in Spain against Girona on Tuesday evening.
December offers no opportunities for the game to be played with the fixture schedule as hectic as ever across all competitions either side of and during the festive period, with Liverpool hosting Fulham next weekend before then battling Southampton in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday, December 18.
Liverpool then go to Tottenham on December 22 before entertaining Leicester on Boxing Day and travelling to West Ham on December 29 to see out 2024.
Not in Europe and out of the Carabao Cup, Everton do not have any more midweek fixtures to come before Christmas, only Arsenal and Chelsea on consecutive weekends.
January also looks nigh-on impossible to find a date in which to squeeze the postponed game, with presumably no chance of it being shoehorned in a clear midweek in the first days of the New Year after such a packed festive schedule ahead of Liverpool hosting fierce rivals Manchester United on January 5 and Everton travelling to Bournemouth the day before.
Everton’s FA Cup third round game at home to third-tier Peterborough has been scheduled for Thursday January 9, much to the annoyance of both sets of fans.
Liverpool would also be involved in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Wednesday January 8 anyway, if they get past Southampton.
The following midweek brings another round of Premier League fixtures, with Liverpool going to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, January 14 and Everton taking on Aston Villa 24 hours later.
It’s Brighton and Tottenham respectively on the following weekend, before the Champions League then moves back into view with Liverpool hosting French side Lille in their penultimate fixture of the new-look ‘league phase’ on Tuesday, January 21.
The last midweek in January is no good either as Liverpool play host to Dutch opponents PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday 29.
Liverpool begin February away at Bournemouth on the first of the month, with Everton at home to Leicester.
Even if Liverpool - who currently top the table with five wins from five - were to somehow fall out of the top eight in the Champions League and need to enter a two-legged play-off tie in a bid to reach the last 16, those games would not be until 11/12 and 18/19 February.
Liverpool surely not needing the play-off route through to the Champions League knockouts could mean that the week beginning February 16 is the most opportune time to rearrange the Merseyside derby, depending on their Carabao Cup progress.
The only potential issue there is the Premier League tending to want to avoid scheduling fixtures on the same day as Uefa - though it has happened before - and issues around if they are permitted to televise them on the same night.
As things stand, the only confirmed midweek commitments for Liverpool and Everton in February come at the end of the month, with Liverpool hosting Newcastle on Wednesday 26 after Everton have gone to Brentford the night before.
Both clubs only have two Premier League games scheduled in March at the moment, on the 8th and 15th, though the month is obviously complicated by a two-week international break.
Liverpool could also yet find themselves in the Carabao Cup final on March 16, which would result in a new date needing to be found for their Premier League match at Aston Villa the day before.
They will also likely face a two-legged last-16 showdown in the Champions League, with those matches scheduled for 4/5 and 11/12 March.
The first leg of any quarter-final tie would come on 8/9 April, after the Anfield derby with Everton and visit to Fulham.
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