Following three matches in the United States, Liverpool are ramping up pre-season preparations. The Reds have two friendlies at Anfield, ahead of their Premier League opener in a fortnight, the first of which is against Ligue 1 side AS Monaco on Sunday 9 August.
Ahead of this pre-season friendly, check out the starting XI Andoni Iraola has selected:
Liverpool's confirmed lineup vs AS Monaco
- Alisson.
- Jeremie Frimpong, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Virgil van Dijk & Kostas Tsimikas.
- Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai & Florian Wirtz.
- Lewis Koumas, Alexander Isak & Cody Gakpo.
- Substitutes: Giorgi Mamardashvili, Harvey Davies, Miloš Kerkez, Wataru Endō, Harvey Elliott, Federico Chiesa, Víctor Muñoz, Trey Nyoni, Calvin Ramsay, James McConnell, Luke Chambers, Kieran Morrison & Rio Ngumoha.
Despite not travelling to the U.S. for the tour, all three of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo are straight in and starting this friendly. Kostas Tsimikas is rotated in for Miloš Kerkez at left-back, while Ryan Gravenberch comes into midfield, having been introduced as a half time substitute against Leeds last Sunday.
Looking at the substitutes bench, Wataru Endō could feature for the first time since suffering a long-term foot injury at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland on 11 February. Meantime, having cut his holiday short, World Cup winner Víctor Muñoz is among the substitutes, so will likely get his first taste of Anfield off the bench.
Lastly, Curtis Jones has been left out of the squad purportedly as a precaution, but this will only fuel speculation around his future.
AS Monaco's confirmed lineup vs Liverpool
- Lukáš Hradecký.
- Vanderson, Eric Dier, Sadibou Sané & Nazinho.
- Pepe Cabral, Lamine Camara, Mathys Detourbet & Aleksandr Golovin.
- Matthis Abline & Mika Biereth.
Former Liverpool midfielder Takumi Minamino is at Monaco, but will not face his former side, still recovering from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament suffered in the Coupe de France against Auxerre in December. Former Manchester United man Paul Pogba meantime would have elicited a slightly different reaction from the Liverpool crowd, but he too is currently sidelined.
Which Liverpool players are currently injured?
Liverpool currently have six senior first team figures out injured. Joe Gomez suffered a serious muscle injury during the first match of pre-season, the 4-2 win over Sunderland at Geodis Park, so will be out for a few weeks at least.
There are also the five long-term absentees. Wataru Endō, Stefan Bajčetić and Giovanni Leoni are all closing in on a return, although Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitiké are still both many months away.
When will Liverpool fans see Jérémy Jacquet for the first time?
Arriving from Stade Rennais for £60 million, signed to be first-choice centre-back alongside Virgil van Dijk, supporters are eager to get a first glimpse of Jérémy Jacquet. However, the 21 year old is still awaiting his first outing in the red of Liverpool. Iraola is being ultra-cautious with the French defender, given that he has not featured since requiring shoulder surgery in February. Once again not in the squad, he surely won't be ready for the start of the Premier League season.
When will Alexis Mac Allister be available?
It is now exactly three weeks since Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup Final at MetLife. Considering Alexis Mac Allister played pretty much every minute of every game for la Albiceleste, which included three extra times, he is enjoyed a well-earned break.
Nevertheless, Iraola confirmed that the midfield will be due back at AXA Training Centre on Monday, expected to feature, albeit perhaps only briefly, in one of the two games against Como next Sunday.
What time does Liverpool vs Monaco kick off?
This pre-season friendly kicks off at 2:30pm (BST) at Anfield, which is 9:30am (EST) and 6:30am (PST).
How can I watch Liverpool vs Leeds United in pre-season?
This pre-season match is available on LFCTV and All Red Video to all subscribers worldwide.
The fixture is also live on CBS Sports Network in the United States, Paramount+ in Australia, DAZN in France, Germany and Switzerland, beIN Sports in New Zealand and Claro Sports in South and Central America. Check local listings for more.
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