Premier League giants set for fixture chaos with ‘Champions League games set for SAME DAY as Carabao Cup next season’

PREMIER LEAGUE giants are reportedly set for fixture chaos next season.

That’s with Champions League games set to be played on the same day as Carabao Cup matches.

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Premier League sides are set for Champions League and Carabao Cup fixture clashes[/caption]

Europe’s elite competition will undergo a major change next season as it expands from 32 teams to 36.

The group stages have been axed and teams will instead be bundled into one giant table for the opening round.

The top eight teams will go straight through to the last 16.

While the next 16 will play knockout matches to determine the final eight sides.

However, it means teams will now play eight matches in the initial round instead of the previous six.

And the Mail claims that there is currently a fixture clash on the horizon for any Champions League team that reaches next term’s Carabao Cup semi-final.

The domestic competition becomes a two-game tie at that stage.

And a draft fixture list from the EFL sees one of the legs fall at the same time as a Champions League games.

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It’s noted that EFL sources insist the fixture date is not finalised.

However, the only way to avoid the clash of games is to make the Carabao semis a one-legged affair.

And should the current date remain, it could force any Premier League side in the Champions League to field a team of kids in the Carabao Cup.

Liverpool famously put out their youth side under the watch of then-U23s boss Neil Critchley for their Carabao quarter-final against Aston Villa five years ago.

That’s because Jurgen Klopp’s senior stars were in Doha at the time as they competed for the Club World Cup.

And it remains to be seen if there is any wriggle room as the new Champions League format comes into play.

The EFL and Uefa declined to comment.