Liverpool’s German manager Jurgen Klopp attends a training session at Melwood in Liverpool, north west England on March 10, 2020, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg football match against Atletico Madrid. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Coronavirus: What EPL fixture postponement means for Liverpool title bid
With the EPL postponing its first fixture due to the Coronavirus, Liverpool face a bit of uncertainty in their title bid.
Liverpool’s German manager Jurgen Klopp attends a training session at Melwood in Liverpool, north west England on March 10, 2020, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg football match against Atletico Madrid. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Liverpool are on track for their first league title in 30 years, but that may not be as grand an affair, with the fast-spreading coronavirus now affecting the English Premier League (EPL) calendar.
Sports events and other public gatherings in some parts of Europe had already been affected by the virus which, at the time of publishing, had claimed six lives in the United Kingdom.
First EPL match called off amid virus fears
The first EPL fixture to be postponed due to concerns over the outbreak was the Manchester City vs Arsenal clash, which was due to take place at The Etihad on Wednesday night.
This is after it was determined that a few Arsenal players had contact with Olympiacos chairman Evangelos Marinakis, who has tested positive for the Covid-19.
The Gunners played the Greek giants over two legs in the Europa League between 20 and 27 February.
Despite the risk of those who met Marinakis transmitting the virus being “extremely low” – as the London club claims – the players are self-isolating as a precautionary measure.
What this means for Liverpool’s title bid
While there have been no other disruptions to sports events in the UK, aside from the City-Arsenal clash, the rest of EPL is set to carry on as scheduled as things stand.
This is, of course, until the government advises otherwise.
However, with leagues elsewhere in Europe – where matches are either being played behind closed doors or completely suspended – the trend may soon hit Britain.
With Liverpool only two wins away from their first league title in the EPL era, they could find themselves lifting the crown in front of a paying audience of none.
As grim as that may sound for Liverpool fans, who would want to witness such a historic moment in the flesh, there is an even worse possibility.
Should more matches be postponed, the league season might not be completed on 12 May as scheduled.
This is because the fixtures will have to be squeezed in on later dates in an already scheduled calendar.
The upcoming Euro 2020 championship, which is due to kick off on 12 June further complicates things while, before that, there is the FA Cup and Champions League finals on 23 and 30 May respectively.
One little piece of comfort Liverpool fans can still cling on to is the possibility of clinching the title at Goodison Park the home of Merseyside rivals Everton on Monday.
This, however, rests on Man City losing at home to Burnley over the weekend.
