Though just five weeks have passed since the season finished, Liverpool are about to begin pre-season training, with three friendlies scheduled to test the players in July.
The break seems to feel shorter every year, doesn’t it?
Liverpool’s players are finishing their holidays and preparing to return for pre-season. This is when the hard work really gets done ahead of another season full of highs, lows – though hopefully not too many – and with a bit of luck, silverware at the end.
While the rest of us are enjoying the summer, the players will be put through their paces on Merseyside before heading to the Far East for their pre-season tour.
Here is what awaits Liverpool in July.
July 8 – Pre-season starts
While the start date for sections of the squad will vary due to internationals causing some players to finish late – Harvey Elliott and Tyler Morton have only just completed the U21 Euros – July 8 was the day Arne Slot declared Liverpool would be back.
Before the last game of the season, he said: “What I don’t know yet, and that’s going to be the interesting one, is if we have this elite mentality, this serial winner mentality, of showing up season after season after season.
“I think I’ll get the answer already on July 8, when we come back together, seeing what shape the players are in.”
Expect Liverpool’s youngsters and those who haven’t played international football to be back first, with others following in the coming weeks ahead of their trip to Asia.
July 13 – Preston (Deepdale)
Liverpool’s first game back in action is against Preston, with Liverpool making the short trip to Deepdale for a friendly.
Their last outing there was against Darmstadt in 2023, but this time they will face the occupants of the famous old ground that was built in 1875.
There is a chance that Liverpool’s new signings will be involved, having had their five weeks holiday by this point. A potential first time seeing Florian Wirtz play for the Reds – just don’t call at his debut!
However, given that Wirtz’s last game for Germany was exactly five weeks before this, it remains to be seen if the players involved in internationals in June will be involved this early.
July 21 – Fly to Asia
As part of the squad’s commercial obligations, they will travel to Hong Kong and Japan to play two fixtures which will be seen as a chance for the club to grow its reach in the region.
The focus of the trip will be training, but the players will have plenty of time set aside for media appointments and commercial events with Liverpool’s partners.
Oh, and don’t worry, they’ll be travelling in luxury so no need to worry about the lads on their long-haul flight!
July 26 – AC Milan (Hong Kong)
For the first time in eight years, Liverpool return to Hong Kong where they will face AC Milan at the 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Sports Park.
By this point, the full squad, barring perhaps Elliott and Morton, should be part of the tour and it could be our first chance to see the Reds’ record signing, Wirtz, if he hasn’t already had a runout at Deepdale.
Who the youngsters are that Slot decides to take on the trip will be a good indication of how Liverpool’s squad may look come the start of the season.
If they are left behind to train at home, there is a good chance they will be sent out on loan or sold by the end of the window.
July 30 – Yokohama FM (Yokohama)
After nearly a week in Hong Kong, the team will then fly to Japan to face Yokohama F. Marinos at the Nissan Stadium, which holds over 72,000 people.
The match should garner plenty of attention as it will act as something of a homecoming for Wataru Endo, who was born in the nearby Totsuka Ward and supported Yokohama FM as a boy.
As always on the Reds’ pre-season tours, we can expect to see huge crowds at the games, though Slot’s ultimate focus will be on the fitness of his players and how they are adapting to a tweaked system.
Once Liverpool return home, the manager’s key players will have just two games left to get ready for the season’s real start, on August 15, when Bournemouth arrive at Anfield.
A double-header at Anfield, against Athletic Bilbao, is set for August 4, before Liverpool play Crystal Palace at Wembley in the Community Shield, on August 10.
Liverpool’s pre-season fixtures in July
First Team
Preston (Deepdale) – Sunday, July 13, 3pm (BST)
AC Milan (Hong Kong) – Saturday, July 26, 12.30pm
Yokohama FM (Yokohama) – Wednesday, July 30, 11.30am TBC
