Liverpool may have to wait a long time for their final Premier League trip to Goodison Park.
The Reds were due to take on their Merseyside rivals Everton on Saturday afternoon. But the match was postponed after severe weather caused by Storm Darragh.
A statement from Liverpool explaining the postponement said: “This is due to severe weather and high winds, which have also resulted in severe travel disruption in and around Merseyside.
“Following a Safety Advisory Group meeting this morning at Goodison Park, attended by officials from both clubs, as well as representatives from Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council, it was decided that due to the risk to safety in the local area and the orange The warning for heavy winds that will remain in force until 6am on Sunday morning, today's match has been postponed for safety reasons.
“We realize this will be a major disappointment for supporters, but the safety of fans, staff and players is of the utmost importance.”
And while fans will be disappointed, attention will now turn to a possible rescheduling date. Event organizers are faced with a nightmare trying to fit the new fixture into an already full agenda.
The first chance could possibly come on New Year's Day, with neither Everton nor Liverpool currently scheduled. This match would pose no broadcast issues for TNT Sports, while each team would also have a minimum 60-hour break between matches – a Premier League guideline.
Liverpool play West Ham a few days earlier, while their next match is Manchester United. Everton, meanwhile, have clashes with Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth on either side of New Year's Day.
With the FA Cup kicking off for Premier League teams, further conditions will apply later this month. Ironically, they fall on the shoulders of Liverpool as they prepare to travel to Goodison.
Midweek days of January 7 and 8 would be an option, but only if the Reds fail to reach the League Cup semi-finals. The same applies to both February 4 and 5.
The next midweek options are February 11 and 12 or February 18 and 19, but those dates are dependent on Liverpool automatically qualifying for the next round of the Champions League.
Elsewhere, a weekend match could be difficult. No Premier League matches may be played during the weekends of the fourth and fifth rounds of the FA Cup, nor in the quarter-finals. To play on those weekends, special dispensation would have to be sought from the FA – and even then there is no guarantee that either side will be eliminated from the competition.
So it could mean an extremely long wait for the final Premier League match between the two sides at Goodison – possibly even after their meeting at Anfield on April 2.
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