Liverpool will have part of their new Anfield Road upper tier open for the visit of Manchester United next month after an acceleration in the £80million redevelopment.
The Reds had taken the decision last month to keep the new section of the stadium closed until next year as they continued to deal with fallout of the Buckingham Group, the initial contractors of the project, going into administration in August.
Work on the construction resumed in September under new contractors Raynor Rowen, and has continued at such a rate that Liverpool are now in a position to confirm a phased opening of the new stand, subject to a test event and safety certificate.
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It's understood the club are optimistic around half of the tickets for the upper tier - which will house around 9,500 supporters - will be made available for the visit of bitter North West rivals United on Sunday, December 17.
Liverpool's subsequent three home games - the League Cup quarter-final against West Ham United on December 20, the Premier League visit of Arsenal three days later and the New Year's Day clash with Newcastle United - will also see the new section of the stadium partially used.
The opening is subject to an internal emergency conditions test managed in conjunction with Liverpool City Council along with a public test event, which is expected to take place during the week before the United match. Around 3,000 people will be asked to test the upper tier before it can be officially opened and a safety certificate granted.
Tickets will only be put on sale after a successful test event, with Liverpool set to prioritise supporters who had their tickets for the upper tier cancelled last month for the four affected fixtures.
In the meantime, work will continue on the Anfield Road stand before the new-look stadium can operate at full capacity, which will be bumped up to 61,000.
Liverpool, who had initially planned on the new stand being open at the start of the season, have been forced to play in front of a reduced capacity of just over 50,000 for their nine home games this campaign, with another two - in the Europa League against LASK Linz next Thursday and the Premier League meeting with Fulham three days later - scheduled before the United game.
