Having already seen a Premier League match postponed due to high winds, Liverpool could see a second match dropped due to weather on Sunday.
The league leaders are set to face Manchester United in the 4:30 p.m. GMT kick-off.
However, snow fell in Merseyside overnight on Sunday. A significant amount of rain is expected to follow.
HOW SEVERE IS THE WEATHER?
An “orange” weather warning is in place for the region:
The concern is probably as much about the icy conditions as the amount of snow.
The Anfield pitch – unlike Burnley’s Turf Moor in 2021 – will be fine: heating and draining the ground will almost certainly eliminate any falls.
Rather, the decision will be based on the conditions near the pitch, i.e. how much it will affect the safety of fans.
WHAT’S THE NEXT STEP?
Liverpool City Council’s security advisory group met on Sunday morning to decide whether or not the match would go ahead.
They will meet again at noon to make a final decision.
However, the noises are rather positive coming from Liverpool:
-WHAT MATCHES HAVE BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO SECURITY ISSUES IN THE PAST?
Over the past decade, we’ve seen four Premier League matches postponed for safety reasons due to weather conditions – all in the North West, coincidentally.
- Everton v Crystal Palace, February 2014
- Manchester City v Sunderland, February 2014
- Manchester City vs West Ham United, February 2020
- Everton vs Liverpool, December 2024
Storm Ciara won the Man City v West Ham match in 2020. Storm Darragh did the same in the Merseyside derby last month.
Once again, in 2014, it was strong winds that forced the postponement of two high-profile matches.
The big freeze of January 2010 is perhaps a more relevant example.
Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur was one of the postponed matches, with the Reds releasing the following statement at the time:
“Although the Anfield pitch is perfectly playable for the match, the problem we face is the icy condition of the access roads and paths in the immediate vicinity of the stadium.
“The safety of our supporters is paramount and an assessment of the prevailing conditions and weather forecast for the next 48 hours has been carried out to make the decision to cancel the match. The local police and city council were fully involved in this assessment.
We won’t have to wait long to find out if history repeats itself, 15 years later.
