Liverpool has been handed a new date for its Premier League meeting with Chelsea at the start of May, with its run-in toward the title now taking shape.
The Reds had originally been scheduled to travel to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, May 3 in what will be the final month of the season. Now, Arne Slot’s side will instead head to London a day later on May 4, with a 4:30 pm kick-off in the UK (11:30 am ET, 8:30 am PT in the US).
Liverpool may already have the title wrapped up by that point if Arsenal slips up in any of its games during April. Mikel Arteta’s side sits 12 points behind the Reds at the moment, with the Gunners boss already seemingly admitting defeat in the title race.
As things stand, Liverpool will need 16 points from its final nine games in order to be crowned champion – assuming Arsenal wins all of its remaining fixtures. With a meeting with the Gunners at Anfield awaiting after the trip to Chelsea, Slot will be eager to get the title wrapped up as quickly as possible, which could lead to Arsenal giving the Reds a guard of honor when it visits Merseyside.
The latest change means all but two of Liverpool’s remaining fixtures have had their dates confirmed. The Reds return from the international break with the Merseyside derby against Everton on April 2, despite both clubs trying to get the game moved forward by 24 hours.
A tricky trip to Fulham follows on April 6, before West Ham visits Anfield on April 13. Liverpool then travels to relegation-threatened Leicester City on April 20, before closing out April at home against Tottenham on April 27.
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The games against Arsenal and Brighton in May are yet to be confirmed, with those fixtures currently penciled in for May 10 and May 18 respectively. The final game of the season, at home to Crystal Palace on May 25, is locked in though, with all teams set to play at the same time on the final day of the campaign.
With no Champions League commitments now, Liverpool’s sole focus is on the league, which could help Slot keep his players fit during the final run-in. The Reds already have four players currently out, while they’ve been handed three more scares during the international break.
Alisson Becker and Ryan Gravenberch both returned to Merseyside early, while Ibrahima Konate was initially thought to have picked up a knock while on duty for France, although Didier Deschamps has suggested otherwise.
