Liverpool’s season resumes this weekend with the small matter of a clash against Manchester United at Anfield a return to club action that arrives just as the fixture list begins to look unforgiving.
The Premier League’s latest round of broadcast selections has reshaped Liverpool’s December calendar, with three of their opening four fixtures in the month moved to accommodate television scheduling and cup commitments.
For Arne Slot, it signals the start of a relentless stretch that will test every inch of his squad depth.
The Premier League confirmed fixture and TV details for all matches up to the end of November earlier this month. Now, the league has released the first batch of December changes, covering four rounds of fixtures.
For Liverpool, that means three of their games against Sunderland, Leeds United, and Tottenham Hotspur have been rescheduled. The only match to remain in its original slot is the home clash with Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, December 13 (3pm GMT).
It all begins with a midweek contest against newly-promoted Sunderland on Wednesday, December 3 (8:15pm GMT) at Anfield. It will be the clubs’ first meeting in nearly nine years and the first time the Black Cats have visited Anfield since their return to the Premier League.
Barely 72 hours later, Slot’s men will be on the road again, travelling to Elland Road to face Leeds United on Saturday, December 6 (5:30pm GMT) another game moved for live television coverage. The short turnaround, compounded by international fatigue and European commitments, is unlikely to sit well with Slot or his medical staff.
The following weekend brings that unchanged fixture against Brighton, before a trip to north London to meet Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, December 20 (5:30pm GMT).
That match will mark the first meeting between Liverpool and Spurs since Thomas Frank took charge in the capital. Slot, meanwhile, will be hoping to maintain his strong record against Tottenham, with the Reds scoring 11 goals in their two league meetings last season.
December could get even busier. Should Liverpool reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, that tie would be played in the week between the Brighton and Tottenham games creating a brutal run of fixtures across just 17 days.
And that’s before factoring in a likely Champions League clash with Inter Milan in mid-December. Add the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, which will see Mohamed Salah depart for international duty with Egypt before the end of the month, and the challenge for Slot becomes even clearer.
By the end of December, Liverpool could have played eight competitive matches in 28 days a run that will stretch from Anfield to Europe and back again, with barely a recovery day in between.
The fixture congestion arrives at a time when Liverpool’s squad is already feeling the strain. Several first-team regulars including Virgil van Dijk, Dominik Szoboszlai and Andy Robertson played every minute of their respective international fixtures this month. Slot will have to weigh the benefits of rhythm against the growing risk of fatigue.
In midfield, international call-ups have also pushed the limits of endurance. Ryan Gravenberch featured heavily for their country, while Alexis Mac Allister continues to manage his workload after a taxing start to the season.
The situation is further complicated by injuries and the looming absence of Salah. The Egyptian is expected to leave for AFCON preparations before the new year, meaning Liverpool must plan for life without their talisman across a pivotal stretch of fixtures.
While the Premier League’s latest release clears up the early part of December, there is still no confirmation of Liverpool’s fixture dates over the Christmas and New Year period.
The Reds are due to face Wolverhampton Wanderers (H), Leeds United (A) and Fulham (A) across the final weeks of December and into early January a sequence that could define their momentum heading into the second half of the campaign.
For now, Slot and his staff can only prepare for what’s in front of them a December that will demand careful rotation, tactical adaptability, and no small amount of resilience.
The festive fixture list has always been a defining test of title credentials. For this Liverpool side, it may arrive earlier and hit harder than ever.
