Mueez Ajao
– The first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal clash between Arsenal and Liverpool has been postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak, it was announced.
– Liverpool cancelled their first-team training on Tuesday following a COVID-19 outbreak among the squad, and the club’s Carabao Cup tie at Arsenal, originally scheduled for Thursday, has now been called off.
– The first game between the two sides will be played at Anfield on Jan, 13 with the return leg at the Emirates on Jan. 20.
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– Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp missed his side’s 2-2 draw at Chelsea on Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19.
– The club had also cancelled a pre-match news conference on Wednesday after assistant manager Pep Lijnders, who had taken interim charge of the team while Klopp was isolating, tested positive for COVID-19.
– Another statement later in the day confirmed that the club had closed the first-team training centre. Liverpool didn’t say how long the facility would be closed but it is likely to be for the next 48 hours at least.
– The English football calendar has been heavily impacted since the emergence of the Omicron variant, with a total of 18 Premier League games called off within the last month.
– Arsenal qualified for the semifinals with a 5-1 win over Sunderland last month, while Liverpool edged past Leicester City on penalties after a 3-3 draw at Anfield.
