Watford have rejected a request from Liverpool to switch their match at Vicarage Road to an evening kick off, reports claim.

The Telegraph has this afternoon reported that Liverpool were refused the request, which they felt would give them a chance of fielding Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino, who are all away on duty with Brazil during the international break.

Brazil face Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier on Friday, October 15 and the game between Watford and the Reds is scheduled to kick off at 12.30pm the next day, barely 24 hours after.

The Hornets were reportedly against the change due to the fact that the early kick off had been announced as far back as July and that altering it at late notice would inconvenience those who had already made travel plans.

A private jet was said to have been lined up to bring the players back from Manaus in time for the game, should it have been rearranged.

The early kick off means that Liverpool are likely to be without the players, whose only chance of featuring in the match now appears to be Brazil releasing them prematurely from their national duty.

The match will be Claudio Ranieri's first game in charge after his appointment was announced yesterday.

Watford famously won 3-0 the last time the two teams met, ending Liverpool's 18-game Premier League win streak.