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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Callum Vurley

Liverpool will fall short of record even if they play every possible game this season

Liverpool have had a long season as they chase down a potential quadruple this season - but they cannot break one record no matter what.

If the Reds make it past Villarreal in the Champions League, they will play every possible game in which they could as they have already reached the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals, as well as the standard 38 matches in the Premier League. That would mean Jurgen Klopp's side will have played 63 matches come the end of the season.

However, that will not be enough to beat Chelsea's record in the 2012/13 campaign when they played 69 times - including the Club World Cup. In another dimension, the Blues would have made a clean sweep of trophies but it was another turbulent year at Stamford Bridge.

After winning the Champions League and the FA Cup the previous season, Chelsea also had to contend in the Super Cup and the Community Shield to add a couple more matches. Roberto di Matteo had been in charge until he was sacked in November after failing to qualify from their Champions League group.

Rafa Benitez was brought in amid a toxic atmosphere but it did little to deter the players, who marched on to play 69 matches in all competitions. And a handful of players might be forgiven if they had passed out through exhaustion.

Fernando Torres, Oscar and Juan Mata all played 64 games throughout the season while Petr Cech saw the most minutes with 5,655. Branislav Ivanovic had the most minutes of the outfield players with 4,991.

Liverpool will not be breaking the record for most games played this season (getty)

Chelsea did end the season with the Europa League trophy but only after dropping down into the competition from the group stage, meaning they had to go through the two-legged ties all the way to the final. However, they could have ended up playing more.

They reached both semi-finals of the League Cup and FA Cup after losing to Swansea and Manchester City respectively, two competitions that on another day the Blues would have felt they could have won. In total, they could have ended up playing 71 times.

Liverpool will play a maximum of 63 times this season if they beat Villarreal in the Champions League, which will one less than Manchester United in the 2016/17 campaign. That was the last time the Red Devils clinched any silverware with Jose Mourinho at the helm.

Rafa Benitez worked Juan Mata almost to death in 2012/13 (Jamie McDonald)

The Special One famously brandished three fingers at the end of the season to signify the number of trophies won - the Community Shield, the Carabao Cup and the Europa League. Across 291 days, United played 64 times - roughly once every four and a half days.

Had they beaten Chelsea in the FA Cup, they would have gone further in a year where Paul Pogba played more minutes than anyone else with 4,350. Who would have thought that amid the reported tension between the player and Mourinho?

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