Football: Liverpool shut training ground, League Cup game against Arsenal called off

Liverpool's assistant manager Pep Lijnders tested positive for Covid-19 late on Jan 4. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

LONDON (AFP, REUTERS) - Liverpool closed their training ground on Wednesday (Jan 5) after "multiple new" coronavirus cases including a positive test result for assistant manager Pep Lijnders, with the first leg of the League Cup semi-final against Arsenal later postponed.

Liverpool had already requested the English Football League on Tuesday to reschedule the game because of the rise in Covid-19 cases at the club.

As a result of the postponement, the order of the ties has been changed - the first leg will now take place at Anfield on Jan 13, while the rearranged game will be played as the second leg at the Emirates on Jan 20.

Manager Jurgen Klopp and three players - Alisson Becker, Joel Matip and Roberto Firmino - were already isolating before the latest wave of infections.

Lijnders, who took charge of the English Premier League team for Sunday's 2-2 draw at Chelsea, tested positive for Covid-19 late on Tuesday.

The club cancelled Wednesday's pre-match press conference, at which Lijnders was due to speak, a day before the scheduled first leg of their semi-final at the Emirates.

Liverpool have other personnel issues, with a number of players including Thiago Alcantara, Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi all absent through injury, while Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita are now on Africa Cup of Nations duty.

"Liverpool Football Club can confirm the first-team training facilities at AXA Training Centre have been temporarily closed due to a rapidly growing number of suspected positive Covid-19 cases," the club said in a statement.

"The Reds acted to suspend operations within the facility today after the latest round of testing revealed multiple new suspected positives."

The United Kingdom reported 218,724 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, a record for the number of cases on a single day.

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