Why Premier League will refuse to help Liverpool by replicating PSG fixture controversy
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Liverpool face a difficult-looking Premier League fixture against Fulham either side of their Champions League quarter-final tie versus Paris Saint-Germain next monthThe Premier League won't postpone Liverpool's game in-between the two-legged Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain because 'they would have to do it for every other club playing in Europe'.Arne Slot's side are scheduled to face Fulham on Saturday, April 11 at 5:30pm, three days after the first leg at the Parc des Princes and three days before the second leg at Anfield.It's poised to be a chaotic April for the Reds, who start by facing Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday, April 4 and could face up to seven fixtures across the month.But - unlike PSG who have been granted their request to postpone the Ligue 1 fixture against Lens sandwiched either side of the Champions League fixtures against Liverpool - the Reds won't be given help by the Premier League to reschedule the Fulham game and give them an added break.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE! All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook pageSky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol said: "If you're a Liverpool fan you'll be thinking, 'Hey, this is not fair, we have to play Fulham – PSG are going to have six days off'."The reason the Premier League don’t do it is because if they did it for Liverpool, then they’d have to do it for every other Premier League club who are playing in Europe.
Following a formal request, the Ligue de Football Professionel (LFP) have confirmed that their game against Lens on Saturday, April 11 has been postponed.It means that Luis Enrique's men, who sit one point above second-place Lens in the Ligue 1 table, are due to have a six-day break between the first leg on Wednesday, April 8 and the second leg on Tuesday, April 14.Lens had been strong in their opposition to the postponement, as they chase first Ligue 1 title for 24 years. If they don't defend the continuity and respect for what Ligue 1 is, who will?"He continued to L'Equipe: "When we start the season, we have the tenth-largest budget, we build a squad and a strategy to compete in the league and the Coupe de France."The fact that the reigning European champions can still be involved in European competition in the spring is good news, but it's not unpredictable."Yet today, they're asking us to change a known schedule, for which a plan has already been established.
We realise that Ligue 1 is becoming the variable used to adjust the Champions League schedule."We're in a situation where one of the parties involved can't have a say. The success of French clubs in Europe also generates direct benefits for all professional clubs, not just the teams involved in these competitions."The prospect of seeing two French clubs reach the semi-finals of European competitions represents a significant opportunity for Ligue 1, both sportingly and economically."PSG face Toulouse on Friday, April 3 in their first game after the March international break before then hosting Liverpool in the Champions League five days later.