Klopp fury about fixtures grows after red-list row

Jurgen Klopp’s frustration with the fixture schedule could increase this weekend when Liverpool are resigned to being without their Brazilian internationals but Tottenham Hotspur are expected to have their South Americans available.

Klopp will be without Alisson Becker and Fabinho for the 12.30pm game against Watford on Saturday, as Brazil face Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier in the early hours of Friday. Spurs, however, play Newcastle United at 4.30pm on Sunday and hope that will give their returning players enough time to be available. Argentina pair Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero, Brazilian full-back Emerson Royal and Colombia centre-back Davinson Sanchez will be in action.

They will fly directly back after their international matches and sleep at Spurs’ training ground as part of the conditions to play after visiting a “red-list” country.

Klopp does not consider it reasonable to expect his Brazilians to play twice in two days. That means back-up goalkeepers Caoimhin Kelleher and Adrian will contest the right to start against Watford, for whom Claudio Ranieri will be taking charge of his first game, with the Irishman most likely to get the nod.

Klopp flagged up the club-v-country clash several weeks ago. “Obviously, nobody thought about that yet and it’s a Liverpool problem, not a problem for anybody else,” he said then. “Good for Watford. I just don’t know how you can do these things and nobody reacts on the schedule. The schedule is always a problem, but it’s like the TV guys and Premier League just say, ‘OK, that’s how it is, they have to play.’”

It will come as some relief that Alisson and Fabinho can at least travel with the squad for Liverpool’s Champions League game against Atletico Madrid next week, despite having recently returned from one of the UK’S red-list countries.

On the plus side for Klopp, Trent Alexander-arnold has recovered from a recent groin issue and will be available at Vicarage Road.