Just 61 days since the Premier League season ended with a 1-1 draw against Brentford at Anfield, now it is almost time for Liverpool to return to action. New head coach Andoni Iraola has traveled stateside with a 31-man squad to commence the Reds' pre-season tour and three game fixture list.
So, if you're desperate for some football to watch now that the World Cup is over, or perhaps you've missed Liverpool even more than you thought, check out our complete pre-season guide.
Who are Liverpool facing in pre-season?
- Saturday 25 July: Sunderland - Geodis Park, Nashville. Kick off 5pm (local) & 11pm (BST).
- Wednesday 29 July: Wrexham - Yankee Stadium, New York. Kick off 7:30pm (local) & 12:30am (BST)
- Sunday 2 August: Leeds United - Soldier Field, Chicago. Kick off 3pm (local) & 9pm (BST).
- Sunday 9 August: Monaco - Anfield, Merseyside. Kick off 2:30pm (BST).
- Sunday 16 August: Como - Anfield, Merseyside. Kick off 6pm (BST).
Liverpool's pre-season opponents: Some familiar, others less so
Of course, as fellow-Premier League clubs, Liverpool faced both Sunderland and Leeds United last season, and will do so during this forthcoming campaign too.
The Reds are due to take on the Black Cats in December and January, while encounter the Yorkshire-based outfit just before Christmas and in late-April.
However, this is not the case for all five opponents. Despite being located 40 miles apart, Liverpool have not met Wrexham since an FA Cup quarter-final in 1978. Kenny Dalglish scored a hat-trick at the Racecourse that day, with the pair set to end this period apart at Yankee Stadium.
Back at Anfield, Iraola's team will take on Monaco for the first time in 22 years. In the 2004/05 Champions League season, a rather famous one if you are a Red, they met the team from the Principality in that season's group stages. Djibril Cissé and Milan Baroš were the scorers during a 2-0 home win at Anfield, before les Monégasques beat Rafa Benítez's side 1-0 at Stade Louis II, setting up that famous do or die game against Olympiacos. As they say, the rest is history.
Lastly, a team they could face in this season's Champions League is Como. Led by Cesc Fàbregas, the Biancoblù finished fourth in Serie A last season, thereby set to debut in UEFA competition in September, facing Liverpool for the very first time in this friendly.
Which Liverpool players are missing pre-season?
The Reds' World Cup representatives are currently on holiday, but will be back with the squad soon. In a press conference on Tuesday, Iraola confirmed that Ryan Gravenberch, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak would meet up with the squad in the states after the Sunderland match.
In the meantime, Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo will also commence pre-season training on Monday, but will do so at AXA Training Centre, thereby not featuring in the U.S. friendlies.
Elsewhere, after their national teams reached the final, Alexis Mac Allister and new recruit Víctor Muñoz will miss the entire US-tour, but are expected to be involved in the two Anfield friendlies.
Lastly, Giovanni Leoni is nearing a return, after rupturing his ACL last September. Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitiké are also with the squad, continuing their rehab, still not yet in contention.
How can I watch Liverpool's pre-season fixtures?
All five matches are available to watch on All Red Video or LFCTV. If you are in the United States, the three matches in America are live on ESPN Select, with the two at Anfield on Fox.
In Australia, the three in the U.S. are being broadcast by Stan Sport, with the Monaco and Como games on Paramount+.
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