Ben Doak and 6 More Players to Be Excited About During Liverpool Preseason

With most of the Liverpool squad out in Germany for preseason training, we’re one step closer to the start of the 2023-24 season.

The Reds will face Karlsruher on Wednesday at the BBBank Wildpark, and we’re likely to see two different XIs taking to the field during the 90 minutes. Only five games will be available to Jurgen Klopp’s men to settle in and get up to speed before the opening Premier League fixture away at Chelsea on August 13.

So who are the players to be excited about during these exhibition games? Read on for a few youngsters who will look to stake a claim for more minutes, and a few more established stars who will want to make a statement before the start of the new campaign.

Ben Doak 

The 17-year-old from Dalry, Scotland, got some first-team experience last season, appearing in two Premier League games and two FA Cup matches.

Doak, who was signed from Celtic in March 2022, is one of the most exciting young players in Liverpool’s development system. He had four goals and two assists in 13 Premier League 2 games last season, and he notched four goals in eight games, in addition to four assists, in the UEFA Youth League.

The winger boasts quick feet, bags of skill and blistering pace, and preseason offers him the chance to show what he can do in a less pressured environment before the new campaign. A strong showing may encourage the boss to let him loose more often for the men’s team.

Stefan Bajcetic

With Liverpool’s midfield in a state of flux, Bajcetic will want to prove that his performances in the first team last season were not just a flash in the pan.

After a fitness and form crisis in the center of the park, Bajcetic strolled into the first team at 18 years of age and put in some quality performances.

His momentum last season was halted because of injury, he’ll want to remind Klopp about his qualities and prove his fitness ahead of what could be an interesting season for the Spain under-18 international.

Luis Diaz

Liverpool fans should be familiar with Diaz’s abilities, but they were seen far too infrequently last season.

The Colombian missed around six months of Liverpool’s 2022-23 season because of a serious knee injury suffered against Arsenal in October. Diaz featured in just nine Premier League games after returning in the 6-1 thrashing of Leeds on April 17, and he found the net once against Tottenham Hotspur in that span.

The Liverpool boss, players and fans will be excited to see the 26-year-old at full fitness, as his direct style of play and ability to score blinders from distance will be valuable skills as the Reds try to break down stubborn defenses.

Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez

These two forwards have been grouped together as we saw a lot of their talents last season, albeit not as often as observers would have liked.

Gakpo perhaps looked more comfortable in the starting XI than Nunez, but the flashes of brilliance from the Uruguayan were a tantalizing taste of what’s to come.

However, it’s the chemistry between Gakpo and Nunez that will be the most exciting thing to watch in preseason. They may be split up at times to make sure all players get a run out, but should they be on the pitch at the same time, we’ll get a glimpse of their growing understanding in a lower-stakes situation, and hopefully some signs of telepathy.

Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai

Another pair grouped together simply because they are new signings, and we can’t wait to see Mac Allister and Szoboszlai in red.

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Mac Allister had the best season of his career during the last campaign, helping Brighton & Hove Albion to a remarkable sixth-place finish in the Premier League—earning the Seagulls their first appearance in European competition—and scoring 10 and assisting two along the way.

Oh, and he also won the World Cup alongside Lionel Messi as a key part of Argentina’s team.

Szoboszlai, meanwhile, has been turning heads for a few years as perhaps the most exciting Hungarian player of a generation. He scored 10 and provided 13 assists in all competitions for Red Bull Leipzig last year, and his power from midfield and precision from the dead ball will be welcome additions to a Liverpool midfield in desperate need of new blood.

Seeing these two put on the red shirt for the first time is arguably what most fans will be tuning in to see as the midfield regeneration begins.