Aston Villa v Liverpool: The show must go on without the main act

“As much as I love the competition, I did feel with the congested fixture list it might be postponed this year to free up spaces,” said Villa’s boss, before confirming he would be making changes to his team for tonight’s third round tie against Liverpool.

Just how many changes, Smith could never have known. In fact, the Villa head coach won’t even be present for what on paper looks a glamour tie but in practice might be something of a charade.

Pending the results of Covid-19 tests urgently scheduled for yesterday afternoon, Villa will play the youth team against the Reds after a coronavirus outbreak ripped through their training ground.

They are not fielding the kids because they want to. They are doing so because, really, there is no other choice and it is at least preferable to the likely alternative of a club that has played in the FA Cup since 1879 forfeiting its place in the competition.

In an ideal scenario the tie would simply be rearranged for a later date when Villa’s squad, or at least a significant portion of it, is free of the virus or out of isolation.

But we are a long, long past ideal scenarios. There is simply no slack in the schedule to make rearrangement a viable option.

It is why Derby will also field a team of under-18s and under-23s in their third round tie at Chorley tomorrow. It is why Shrewsbury are likely to find themselves out of the competition next week when the Professional Game Board meet next week to rule on the postponement of their match at Southampton.

Of course, it isn’t great for Villa, who barring a miracle will exit the cup at the third round stage for the fifth season running.

Neither is it particularly great for the competition, or broadcaster BT Sport, who chose the tie for live broadcast with the aim of billing it as a “revenge” mission for Jurgen Klopp’s team following their 7-2 humbling at the hands of Villa in early October.

The unavoidable irony is Liverpool fielded their youth team when they visited Villa Park for last season’s Carabao Cup quarter-final.

On that occasion Klopp’s hands were tied by the fact his first-team squad were required in the Middle East for the World Club Cup just 24 hours later.

Villa ran out 5-0 winners on the night despite fielding a largely second-string team themselves yet the victory felt hollow and there are likely to be several of those this weekend, in a competition also missing the vibrancy of supporters.

There is a danger the Cup, with next to no wriggle room when it comes to scheduling, could quickly be rendered farcical by the virus.

It feels fair to wonder just how much longer the sport as a whole can hold back the tide, as cases continue to rise across the country.

Klopp conducted his pre-match press duties before news of Villa’s outbreak emerged and the Liverpool boss suggested the strength of Smith’s team made him wary of making “wholesale” changes to his own team. It is likely he feels a bit more comfortable about it now.

Liverpool are aiming to rediscover some momentum after a run of three matches without a win over the festive period saw Manchester United draw level with them at the top of the Premier League.

Klopp, meanwhile, is looking to improve on a rather miserable record in the FA Cup which has seen him so far fail to take the Reds past the fifth round.

Plenty of that has been due to fielding weekend teams, with Liverpool fortunate to escape a fourth round exit at Shrewsbury last term.

“It’s important, the FA Cup,” he said. “So far we haven’t got so far, though we have not been blessed with sensational draws, now Villa is tough too.

“We have always taken it seriously but we cannot forget intensity of the period. We are professionals and only thing we have to do is win. We will try to do that.

“We are not waiting (for a poor run). We don’t enjoy it. There have not been too many really bad games.

“We create a lot, shoot a lot and have plenty of possession but decision making in final third (against Southampton) was not good. We have only won two of last six which is not the standard we expect from ourselves, obviously.”

Former Wolves forward Diogo Jota will not be among the travelling party for the visitors as he continues recovery from a knee injury sustained last month. Midfielder Naby Keita and centre-back Joel Matip also remain sidelined.

“It will still take time, he is still wearing a brace, so that means he is still a few weeks away from team training,” said Klopp when discussing Jota.

“There is nothing really to say, it takes time. There was no surgery needed, which was good, but it was a proper injury.

“It is not a little knock or something; no, no, and it will still take time. There is no real timeframe there.”

On Matip’s fitness, he added: “Yes, we will try working on that obviously. Until the Manchester United game we still have nine days around about, so we try.

“He is in a good way but if it will be United or a few days later, I don’t know. After the United game we will obviously play every three days again, so I think that’s pretty sure, but for the United game, we will see.”