Liverpool confirm Carabao Cup manager as Jurgen Klopp travels to Club World Cup

Liverpool are set to play their Carabao Cup quarter-final with Aston Villa just 24 hours before their Club World Cup semi-final in Qatar.

Liverpool will send a youth team for the Carabao Cup quarter final – as they split their squad to play two games in 24 hours.

Boss Jurgen Klopp has decided his U23 coach Neil Critchley will take charge of the Reds side which visits Aston Villa on December 17, just 24 hours before he himself leads a senior side that will play in the Club World Cup semifinal in Qatar.

Klopp had considered juggling his squad to split senior players between the two matches, and has also pondered the prospect of his assistant Pep Lijnders taking charge of the domestic cup squad.

But instead, Critchley will be in the dug-out, with largely the young side which has progressed so far through the competition.

That means Liverpool are likely to take less than 23 players in their squad for the FIFA club championship, with players like Rhian Brewster, Caoimhin Kelleher, Sepp van den Berg, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott all on duty at Villa Park.

It is a frustrating solution for Klopp, but a decision he feels he has to make, given the two games will be played within 24 hours on two different continents.

He had thought about giving some of his senior players a rest by leaving them at home for the Carabao Cup tie – which would offer a seven day break afterwards – but the players themselves made it clear they want to push hard for the bigger trophy.