LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, November 10, 2019: Liverpool's manager Jürgen Klopp reacts during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Decisive Salzburg outing & Club World Cup exploits – Liverpool FC’s key dates for the diary in December

A relentless December schedule awaits Liverpool who are set to contend with nine games across four competitions throughout the festive period.

The Reds brought the month of November to an end with yet another victory, having recorded a 2-1 win over Brighton to secure their 13th win in the opening 14 league games.

And while momentum is firmly on Liverpool’s side, Jurgen Klopp’s Reds have little time to pat themselves on the backs as silverware, passage to the knockouts of the Champions League and fixtures across two domestic competitions await.

The academy sides and Liverpool FC Women will also face decisive fixtures throughout the month.

And here are all the key dates for your diary ahead of an action-packed December.

 

December 2 – Ballon d’Or Ceremony

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, November 30, 2019: Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk celebrates scoring the first goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

The winner of football’s most prestigious individual award will be announced in Paris on Monday evening.

The Reds have seven players named in the 30-man shortlist, with Virgil van Dijk headlining the list the names after an imperious year.

The Dutchman, however, faces stern competition from Lionel Messi – who has already been tipped to pick up his sixth Golden Ball.

 

December 2 – U18s Kick Off FA Youth Cup Defence

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - Thursday, April 25, 2019: Liverpool's captain Paul Glatzel celebrates with the trophy after the FA Youth Cup Final match between Manchester City FC and Liverpool FC at the Academy Stadium. Liverpool won 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 extra-time draw. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Barry Lewtas‘ side clinched the club’s first FA Youth Cup since 2007 with a penalty shootout win over Man City in the final in April.

And now Liverpool’s under-18s will kick off the defence of their crown with a trip to Tottenham in the third round, with a 7pm (GMT) kickoff.

 

December 4 – Merseyside Derby at Anfield

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, December 2, 2018: Liverpool's substitute Divock Origi scores the winning goal deep into injury time after a terrible error by Everton's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Everton FC at Anfield, the 232nd Merseyside Derby. Liverpool won 1-0. (Pic by Paul Greenwood/Propaganda)

The first team are then back in action with one of the biggest games of the season, with Everton making the short trip to Anfield for matchday 15.

While the Reds are flying at the top of the Premier League table, the Toffees are currently languishing just two points above the relegation zone, where the pressure continues to mount for Marco Silva.

The Reds will be without Alisson (suspension) and Fabinho (ankle) for the fixture, where they will look to inflict further misery over Everton at Anfield.

 

December 7 – Bournemouth (A)

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - Sunday, November 25, 2018: AFC Bournemouth's Nathan Ake during the FA Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Arsenal FC at the Vitality Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Merely three days later Klopp’s men will make the journey to the south coast to face off against Bournemouth in yet another 3pm Premier League kickoff.

The Cherries have won just two of their seven league games on home soil so far this season, and Liverpool have their match in recent meetings having emerged victorious in the last four encounters with an aggregate score of 14-0.

Meanwhile, the U18s will play earlier in the day at Derby County, where a win would take them to within two points of league leaders Man City after 10 games.

 

December 10 – Salzburg (A)

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, October 2, 2019: FC Salzburg's Takumi Minamino (L) celebrates scoring the second goal with team-mate Dal Varesanovic during the UEFA Champions League Group E match between Liverpool FC and FC Salzburg at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

An all-important European fixture is next on the cards as Liverpool must avoid defeat to progress to the last 16 of the Champions League.

While a win over Napoli would have allowed Klopp to ring in the changes during the busiest time of the year, Liverpool will not be afforded such luxury with Group E precariously placed with one game remaining.

Should Napoli overcome Genk, as expected, then Klopp’s side will need at least one point against a free-scoring Salzburg side, with kick-off set for an earlier time of 5.55pm.

Similarly, the under-19s will face a decider of their own earlier in the afternoon as a win over the Austrian outfit would see them finish as group leaders in the UEFA Youth League.

December 14 – Watford (H)

Yet another manager departure precedes Watford‘s arrival on Merseyside as Quique Sanchez Flores was again shown the exit door at the start of the month as one win from 14 games saw them rooted to the bottom of the ladder.

Much like Liverpool’s previous opponents in the league, the Reds’ recent run of form over their counterparts makes for good reading as they have won six of the last seven meetings.

The game could provide the boss with an opportunity to inject fresh legs into his side with the trip to Qatar on the horizon.

And later in the day, Liverpool’s under-23s will be looking for an upset when they host Premier League 2 leaders Chelsea.

 

December 15 – Liverpool FC Women host Chelsea

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, USA - Monday, July 22, 2019: Liverpool's manager Vicky Jepson and her squad before a friendly match between Liverpool FC Women and Metropolitan Conference All Stars at Jordan Field at the Harvard Stadium on day seven of the club's pre-season tour of America. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Vicky Jepson’s side will face another fierce test when they host Chelsea midway through the month, in what will be their final game of 2019.

Liverpool Women have struggled to find avenues to goal and pick up three points in the Women’s Super League to date, and with just one point to their name at the time of writing, they are in a fight for survival in the top division.

 

December 17 – Aston Villa (A) – League Cup

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, October 30, 2019: Liverpool's Neco Williams celebrates after setting-up the fifth goal in injury time to seal a 505 draw and send the game to a penalty shoot out during the Football League Cup 4th Round match between Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC at Anfield. Liverpool won 5-4 on penalties after a 5-5 draw. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

With Klopp and a host of senior figures already in Qatar, Neil Critchley is expected to be the man at the helm as a youthful-looking Liverpool lineup aim to continue their thrilling League Cup run.

The likes of Neco Williams, Rhian Brewster, Harvey Elliott, Sepp van den Berg, Caoimhin Kelleher and Curtis Jones are all expected to be heavily involved with a spot in the semi-finals on the line.

Few first team members are expected to remain in England as Liverpool manage two different squads in two continents.

 

December 18 – Club World Cup Semi-Final

Doha, Qatar (Photo by Sergi Reboredo/Sipa USA)

The second Liverpool game in less than 24 hours will take place in an entirely different continent, with the Reds set to meet one of Qatar’s Al-Sadd, New Caledonian’s Hienghene Sport or Mexico’s Monterrey in the last four of the competition – which will be confirmed on December 14.

The Reds are looking to clinch the Club World Cup title for the first time in the club’s history, with the opening game of Liverpool’s bid for silverware at the Education City Stadium kicking off at 5.30pm.

 

December 20 – U23s Premier League International Cup

DERBY, ENGLAND - Friday, March 8, 2019: Liverpool's manager Neil Critchley before the FA Premier League 2 Division 1 match between Derby County FC Under-23's and Liverpool FC Under-23's at the Derby County FC Training Centre. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

With Liverpool’s preceding fixtures requiring players from the first team all the way through to the academy, the under-23s Premier League International Cup clash with Paris Saint-Germain was moved from the 17th to the 20th.

The competition pits 12 of England’s best academy sides against 12 youth setups across Europe, starting with six groups of four where the winners and the two best runners-up qualify for the quarter-finals.

The meeting with the French side will be the first of the Reds’ fixtures in the tournament this season.

 

December 21 – CWC Final or Third Place Play Off

Dependent on the result in the semi-final, Klopp’s Reds will be playing in either the showpiece final or third-place playoff on December 21.

Liverpool, however, will be expected to be one of the final two teams standing, with Flamengo the likely opponents after they too entered at the semi-final stage following their late win over River Plate in the Copa Libertadores in November.

Liverpool were provided with an allocation of a combined 1500 tickets for both games, with 600 provided for the semi-final and 900 for the third-place play-off and final – with the latter providing access to both.

 

December 26 – Leicester (A)

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, October 5, 2019: Leicester City's manager Brendan Rodgers during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Leicester City FC at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

The toughest fixture on paper then awaits on Boxing Day with a trip to face off against Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City.

At the time of writing, the Foxes are the leaders of the chasing pack and Liverpool will need to be raring to go as they proved a hard team to overcome last time out, where a stoppage-time penalty from James Milner separated the two teams.

The Foxes have a strong league record at home this season, where after seven games at the King Power they had notched six wins and one draw – with Wolves the only side to have taken a point.

 

December 29 – Wolves (H)

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, May 12, 2019: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (L) and Wolverhampton Wanderers' captain Conor Coady during the final FA Premier League match of the season between Liverpool FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

After nine games in 25 days, the month of December and action for 2019 will come to a close when the Reds host Wolves at Anfield.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have experienced a topsy-turvy season to date as they look to balance Europa League football with their Premier League aspirations.

The respective fixture last term saw Liverpool end the 2018/19 campaign with a 2-0 win and an impressive tally of 97 points, taking their winning run over Wolves in the league to five games.