Liverpool's record in early Saturday kick-offs under Jurgen Klopp

If there is one thing that Jurgen Klopp hates, it's the 12:30 kick-off slot on a Saturday afternoon.

The Liverpool boss has frequently bemoaned the lunchtime scheduling, including one heated pitch-side debate with journalist Des Kelly back in 2020 after conceding a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Brighton.

Perhaps Klopp's major gripe with the early kick-off is that his Liverpool side tend to struggle in them, with a patchy record since the German took over during the 2015/16 season. With a few more 12:30 Saturday games on the horizon in the next few months, the Reds boss will be fearing some slow weekend starts.

So, what is Klopp's early kick-off record with Liverpool?

Speaking before Liverpool's 12:30 kick-off with Wolverhampton Wanderers after the international break in September, Klopp didn't hold back when quizzed about the difficulties of playing in the early slot on a Saturday.

«Are you serious with this question?» said the German. «What do you mean what is the difference when you play 30 hours ago in Bolivia? What do you think is the reason? I don't understand.

»Is it something about the time or the lack of recovery in between. It's not a problem if you have a normal week, we've always said that. The only problem is the lack of recovery time.'

He added: «We have four international breaks until March, and on two [now three after their clash with Manchester City was rescheduled] of them we have the 12.30pm kick-off.

»If I say one word about it again the whole world goes 'He's starting to moan again', but it's a joke — we have players in South America that I haven't seen yet and we play in 24 hours. It's a joke."

With Liverpool's clash with Man City now rescheduled for the 12:30 slot after the November international break