Liverpool will be one of 10 Premier League clubs whose winter break is cut short this month, with seven top-flight sides facing replays in the FA Cup third round.
The Reds booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 victory over Arsenal on Sunday evening, avoiding a dreaded replay.
For Arsenal, that means a gap of almost two weeks between games, with their next outing being the visit of Crystal Palace in the Premier League on January 20.
That was as intended for the English top flight, with a winter break brought back in this season following a necessary rejig for the mid-season World Cup last term.
But while it had been hoped that the majority of sides would benefit from an extended rest in January, FA Cup replays and involvement in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup has cut time off for 10 clubs.
Liverpool, Chelsea and Fulham will all play semi-finals in midweek, while seven sides are required to replay their third-round ties.
Crystal Palace, Everton, Brentford, Wolves, Luton, Nottingham Forest and West Ham will all see rescheduled ties in the week commencing January 15.
Those sides could still be joined by Man United, who play Wigan on Monday night.
Arsenal are therefore one of only 10 clubs who will take in a proper winter break, along with Aston Villa, Man City, Tottenham, Brighton, Newcastle, Bournemouth, Burnley, Sheffield United and, as it stands, Man United.
For the clubs contesting Carabao Cup semi-finals, including Liverpool, it is manageable despite the added fixtures, with the Reds’ break running for 10 full days from January 11 to 20.
Jurgen Klopp is likely to grant his players extended time off and depart on a mid-season holiday himself, having described the avoidance of a replay as “the biggest bonus.”
“Everything is fine, now we recover,” he told LFCTV after the win at Arsenal.
“The biggest bonus we played for ages for was the winter break, now we have the winter break after Fulham, see you later for a few days.”
