LIVERPOOL fought back on numerous occasions to beat Arsenal on penalties in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
Yet, in his post-match press conference, Jurgen Klopp claimed he could pull them out of the competition to ease their fixture schedule.
Why does Klopp want Liverpool out of the Carabao Cup?
Challenging for various different competitions is a difficult task for any club, no matter the squad depth.
That could result in around two matches a week, with Liverpool currently featuring in the Premier League, Champions League and with a Carabao Cup quarter final to look forward to.
But as winners of the top European competition last year, the Reds will also be involved in the Club World Cup.
This two-game trip to Qatar is set to take place at the same time as the League Cup quarter-final tie.
Klopp said after the Arsenal win: “If they can’t find the proper date for us and I don’t mean Christmas Day 3am… then we can’t play the game. Our opponents will progress.”
Liverpool do have other options which would see them remain in the competition, including playing the quarter-final in January.
They could also play their youngsters not travelling for the Club World Cup on the same day as their semi-final in Qatar.
What happens if Liverpool pull out?
Like Klopp said, their next opponents will progress.
That will be unfortunate for Arsenal, despite narrowly exiting the competition.
So should Liverpool essentially forfeit the match, their quarter-final opponent will receive a bye to the Last Four.
They are set to face Aston Villa in the next round, as the draw was announced on BBC Radio 2.
Liverpool could also expect repercussions for their actions, but with it being an unprecedented scenario, it is unclear on what these would be.
