The Premier League has postponed Sunday’s Premier League fixture between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge due to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
The two sides were due to face off in a high-profile clash on Sunday, but with the Queen’s funeral being held the following day, there is a shortage of police personnel to secure the football games.
A Premier League statement confirmed that Chelsea versus Liverpool and Manchester United versus Leeds United have been postponed due to a lack of police availability.
Brighton & Hove Albion versus Crystal Palace was already postponed due to a planned rail strike.
EPL fixtures will resume this weekend after a pause in United Kingdom football following the passing of the Queen. Seven of the ten EPL fixtures this weekend will now go ahead.
The Premier League statement reads: “Following extensive consultation with clubs, police, local Safety Advisory Groups, and other relevant authorities, there was no other option but to postpone the three fixtures.
“The Premier League would like to thank the UK Football Policing Unit and other police forces across the country, as well as our broadcast partners, for their support during this process, and will continue to liaise with them ahead of the weekend.
“For the matches being played during the period of National Mourning, tributes will be paid to The Queen at Premier League stadiums.
“New dates for the postponed matches will be announced in due course.”
Liverpool face Eredivisie champions Ajax in the Champions League tomorrow. The Reds will hope to leave behind memories of their 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Serie A side Napoli in their opening game.
They are bottom of their UCL group and need to win to keep their hopes of progressing to the next stage alive.
New Chelsea boss Graham Potter will have to wait until October for his first league game. However, he will debut in the dugout against RB Salzburg in the Champions League in midweek.
Chelsea are also on the back foot in the UCL after an opening-day loss to Dinamo Zagreb. Despite the setback, they can get their European campaign back on track on Wednesday.
