There could be a few heavy eyelids among Liverpool's ranks during Wednesday's exhibition match against Sydney FC after the Reds made a last-minute decision to delay their flight to Australia in order to spend a night in Thailand.
Fairfax Media understands Liverpool will not arrive on Tuesday night as scheduled, but will instead touch down 11 hours before kick-off after making a late change of plans for an overnight lay-over in Bangkok.
The Reds will land in Sydney at 8.55am on Wednesday, giving them little time to recuperate after their marathon journey. Given the turnaround of just three days between their last league match match, there will be serious question marks over their conditioning. There will not be so much as a training session, let alone a public appearance for their adoring fans ahead of their highly anticipated exhibition match in Sydney.
The ANZ Stadium clash is expected to attract 75,000 fans.
Liverpool's fourth visit to Australia in as many years was hastily arranged in April to satisfy their fans in Sydney, according to the club. However, Reds officials are understood to have indicated there will be no interview or photo opportunities with players and coaches before the match.
After clearing customs, the players and coaches won't break stride to pose for the cameras and will likely travel directly to their hotel to gain some much-needed rest before the match that evening. That is likely to mean the only time the fans will be able to see the players will be at ANZ Stadium.
The NSW Government have made a significant investment for Liverpool to travel to Australia. When asked whether they had any concerns over the change of scheduling and potential impact on the spectacle, Destination NSW declined to comment but suggested it won't affect the attendance and number of interstate visitors .
"Sydney continues to lead the nation when it comes to attracting major world-class events. Year on year Sydney plays host to a blockbuster calendar of international and sell-out sporting events. Major events such as Liverpool FC taking on A-League Final winners Sydney FC are always popular. More than 7000 interstate visitors have already purchased tickets to witness the Sky Blues face off against the Reds at ANZ Stadium," a Destination NSW spokeswoman said.
On Monday night, the Reds announced their squad, which included four retired players, the absence of star midfielder Philip Coutinho and German international Emre Can. Captain Jordan Henderson and attacking midfielder Sadio Mane won't travel due to injury but the squad was otherwise close to full strength.
Liverpool finished their English Premier League season on Sunday night with a win over Middlesbrough to secure their qualification to the UEFA Champions League, and boarded their flight the next day.
