Liverpool face even tighter fixture turnaround due to awkward airport rule

Liverpool will have a tighter schedule than usual ahead of this weekend’s trip to Brentford, after spending the night in Germany following their 5-1 win over Frankfurt.

The Reds’ decision to remain in Frankfurt was one they had little control over due to the city’s airport closing at 11pm local time.

Normally, Liverpool would fly straight back to Merseyside after an away fixture in Europe.

However, because Germany is an hour ahead of the United Kingdom, the Champions League clash at the Deutsche Bank Park didn’t finish until 10.55pm, making an immediate return impossible.

It means the Premier League champions had to wait until Thursday to fly from Frankfurt back to Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

As a result, it promises to be a swift turnaround ahead of the trip to Brentford at 8pm on Saturday.

Arne Slot is due to hold his pre-match press conference at the AXA Training Centre at 10.30am on Friday, before training gets underway.

Liverpool will then travel to west London in the afternoon and are expected to arrive just over 24 hours before kickoff at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The quick turnaround between returning from Frankfurt and setting off for Brentford comes after Liverpool’s initial flight to Germany was delayed on Tuesday.

The Reds were held for nearly four hours at John Lennon Airport on Tuesday afternoon, which resulted in Slot’s pre-match press conference being cancelled due to a technical issue with the aircraft.

But Slot insisted his side’s travel issues would be “no excuse” for a poor performance against the Bundesliga side – and that proved to be the case.

Liverpool will be without right-back Jeremie Frimpong for the clash against Keith Andrews’ side, while Alexander Isak is a doubt after suffering a groin injury in the 5-1 triumph over Frankfurt.

Ryan Gravenberch, however, could return to the squad after missing the trip to Germany with an ankle injury he sustained in the defeat to Man United on Sunday.

Alisson, Giovanni Leoni, Stefan Bajcetic and Jayden Danns are all long-term absentees, with the goalkeeper’s absence meaning another start for Giorgi Mamardashvili.