“As a result, we will be utilising two playing squads simultaneously, with one squad participating in the FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar and another in the Carabao Cup.

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“The club would like to take this opportunity to underline that while this is not an ideal scenario, it is an outcome which was arrived at with the best interests of the competition, our fellow clubs and ourselves as the sole motivating factor.

“We would like to thank the EFL for their efforts to accommodate us and we can confirm alternative dates were discussed, but ultimately none were considered suitable without compromising the scheduling of the competition itself or placing an undue strain on our playing staff.”

Jurgen Klopp discusses fixture pile up

How could Liverpool line-up in their December double-header?

Whether or not Klopp decides to split his squad and leave some senior players at home for their Carabao Cup clash remains to be seen, although the man himself has insisted he won’t be able to do that.

“We cannot leave any players at home for the Carabao Cup,” said Klopp on Friday.

“We have two games there [Qatar] in a very busy period.

“It’s not that we can go there with 11 players and say they play the two games in Qatar and the other guys play in England against Aston Villa. It doesn’t work like that.”

That said, Liverpool do have sufficient squad depth to field two incredibly competitive starting XIs, although both benches would have to be fleshed out by youngsters.

It’s likely that Klopp would prioritise the Fifa Club World Cup, so the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson would most probably make the trip to Qatar.

However, for their Anfield clash with Villa, Caoimhin Kelleher could line-up in goal having already featured against MK Dons and Arsenal in the Carabao Cup, while the likes of Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren could make up a solid backline.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is in need of as many minutes on the pitch as possible and could provide some real creative spark from midfield, backed up by the experience of James Milner.

Up front, cult hero Divock Origi could lead the line alongside Xherdan Shaqiri – who himself will be seeking minutes on the pitch by then – and youngster Harvey Elliot.

24 hours, two games, two wins. Just like that!