Liverpool return to Anfield for their final two games of pre-season against Athletic Club, with the sides set to face off at 17:00 and 20:00. A special commemorative programme for Diogo Jota will be on sale – forever Liverpool’s number 20.

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The End of Pre-Season

Pre-season isn’t all about results, but Liverpool have enjoyed victories against lesser opposition in Preston North End, Stoke City, and Yokohama F. Marinos. Their only defeat came in a 4-2 loss to AC Milan in Hong Kong. Reflecting on the match, Arne Slot stated:

“We were still able to play our normal game, but we were a bit too open once in a while on the counter-attack.”

Liverpool have scored 13 goals across their four pre-season games. Record signing Florian Wirtz netted his first goal against Yokohama and provided two assists versus Stoke City. He already looks to be settling in well and offers Slot even more firepower in the final third.

However, defensively, Liverpool have only kept one clean sheet – in the 5-0 win against Stoke City behind closed doors – something Arne will no doubt want to improve.

Overall, the manager seems pleased with the team’s progress. In his programme notes, he wrote:

“Our tour of Asia was a good one, with a lot of hard work on the training pitches. Pre-season is about getting fit and keeping fit, and although we had a couple of small issues during our 10 days away, the majority of our players returned healthy and in good shape as we count down to the new season.”

He also addressed how the players have handled the tragic passing of Diogo Jota:

“I want to mention the strength and courage of my players here, too. They have found themselves in one of the toughest positions imaginable, but the way they have come together and the way they have conducted themselves, on and off the pitch, is a credit to them and to this football club. We really couldn’t have asked more of the boys, and I am extremely proud of them all.”

Our Opponents

Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, follow a unique “Basque-only” player policy. This means they only sign players born in the Basque Country or developed through their own youth systems or other Basque clubs.

They are familiar pre-season opponents for Liverpool. In 2017, the Reds defeated Athletic Club 3-1 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. More recently, the sides played out a 1-1 draw at Anfield in the build-up to the 2021–22 season.

Lehoiak (The Lions) finished 4th in La Liga last season and will compete in this year’s UEFA Champions League. Their squad features top talents such as Spanish international Nico Williams, who has travelled to Anfield despite ongoing transfer speculation.

Team News

It’s likely we’ll see two different 11s across the double header, with a handful of substitutes featuring in both matches. Their minutes will likely be closely managed.

Liverpool played a similar double header last pre-season against Sevilla and UD Las Palmas, there was a clear ‘A’ and ‘B’ team. Expect a similar approach as the Reds prepare for the Community Shield next Sunday.

Darwin Núñez continues to be linked with Al-Hilal, and this could potentially be his final appearance at Anfield in a Liverpool shirt.

Joe Gomez returned home early from the pre-season tour with an Achilles injury. A second update on the severity is still pending.

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