Champions League: Eintracht Frankfurt v Liverpool, Wednesday, 8pm – Live on RTÉ 2, TNT Sports 1 & Premier Sports 1
Liverpool’s preparations for their Champions League match at Eintracht Frankfurt have been seriously disrupted after the team’s flight was delayed due to technical problems with the plane.
Arne Slot and his squad were scheduled to depart Liverpool John Lennon Airport at about 4pm on Tuesday after a training session at the club’s base. However, the flight was delayed for more than three hours, finally taking off just after 7.40pm.
Liverpool had to cancel Slot’s customary prematch press conference but are due to land in Frankfurt airport ahead of 11pm local time when the airport closes. The flight time between Liverpool and Frankfurt is around one hour and 40 minutes.
A club statement confirmed: “Our prematch press conference for the clash with Eintracht Frankfurt has been cancelled. A delay in the squad’s scheduled flight out to Frankfurt, due to technical issues with the aircraft, means the briefing will now not be able to take place.”
Technically Liverpool are in breach of Uefa regulations by not hosting a press conference but the club is unlikely to be fined because the delay was beyond their control. Arsenal found themselves in a similar situation last season when their flight to Lens was delayed.
Uefa rules state: “The clubs must arrange for their teams to arrive on-site by the evening before the match concerned at the latest, and in time to fulfil their media obligations the day before the match.”
The disruption adds to Slot’s problems as he seeks to address a damaging run of four consecutive defeats in all competitions, after Sunday’s 2-1 victory for Manchester United at Anfield.
A fifth loss on the run against Eintracht on Wednesday would be Liverpool’s worst run since one of five Division One defeats in 1953, in their last relegation season.
The squad trained at their base in Kirkby at lunchtime ahead of their scheduled trip but midfielder Ryan Gravenberch was absent.
The Dutch international sustained an ankle injury during Sunday’s defeat but was able to complete 62 minutes before being withdrawn as part of a wholesale tactical change by Slot.
Curtis Jones was introduced in his place against United and could play the deep-lying role the Dutchman has excelled in since the start of last season.
It is likely he will start alongside Dominik Szoboszlai, who has been shunted around the team to accommodate other players, with the pair behind an attacking front four.
Wataru Endo has returned to training after a hamstring injury but appears unlikely to be considered for Gravenberch’s role in Germany.
Striker Hugo Ekitike looks set to start against the club he left in the summer, along with £100 million signing from Bayer Leverkusen Florian Wirtz, who was also a substitute at the weekend.
Slot’s big decision appears to be whether to rest an out-of-form Mohamed Salah, as he did in their last Champions League match at Galatasaray.
Should he do so, Jeremie Frimpong, another player who was playing in the Bundesliga last season, or Federico Chiesa would come into consideration.
Frankfurt head coach Dino Toppmoller, son of Klaus who was coach of Bayer Leverkusen when they beat Liverpool in the 2002 quarter-finals, played down their opponents’ poor run of form.
“Liverpool are lacking that little bit of energy at the moment, for whatever reason,” he told a press conference.
“They have been the better team in every game they have played recently and have had the better chances. We will face a world-class team.” – Guardian and agencies