It doesn’t quite feel like the latter stages of the Carabao Cup without Manchester City, but the competition continues apace even without its perennial champions.
And for all the talk of a football firebreak, as it stands there are no plans to call the 2021-22 season to a halt in spite of the rising number of Covid cases which has thrown the festive schedule into disarray.
“Sacrifice the League Cup!” is often the go-to cry for the tournament’s detractors, of which there are many, when the calendar starts to clog up, but that isn’t going to happen either.
However, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has suggested that the semi-finals should not consist of two legs, as is the tradition. “First of all, take away the second semi-final of the Carabao Cup,” the Liverpool boss said after his side’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Sunday.
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“If we don’t play any more and have a break I am fine. But I know the problem: when do you want to play the games? It is not that easy to fit them in. We said before coronavirus that it was a bit busy and now it gives us a proper punch.”
Arsenal and Sunderland’s quarter-final takes place on at the Emirates on Tuesday 21 December, before Brentford host Chelsea and Liverpool meet Leicester City on Wednesday 22 December. There’s also another London derby on offer on that night as West Ham travel to Tottenham.
Semi-final draw
The EFL are yet to confirm the dates for the semi-final draw.
Names have often been drawn out of the hat immediately after the conclusion of one round – but it’s not known at present when we’ll have the ties in full for the last four. The organising committee have not been afraid to think outside the box on dates and locations either; the draw for the last eight took place on a Saturday morning as part of proceedings on Sky Sports’ magazine show “Soccer AM“.
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Semi-final dates
There is a quick turnaround between the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, with the first legs kicking off on Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 January.
Unless there is a late change, the second legs will follow across Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 January.
The final will be played at Wembley on Sunday 27 February.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3EnXYkE
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