LIVERPOOL VS MANCHESTER UNITED: PREVIEW

It’s been 44 days since Liverpool last took to the field – in what was ultimately a disappointing defeat in the Champions League final. The summer break is finally over and we get to watch the Reds in action once again.

Jürgen Klopp’s men kick off their pre-season with a blockbuster clash against old foes Manchester United, under the auspices of new manager Erik Ten Hag. The fixture forms part of Liverpool’s tour of Asia, with a trip to Singapore to follow.

Fans in Thailand have been out in their numbers to show their support since the squad landed yesterday morning. They will be in full voice tomorrow cheering on their heroes in what is expected to be a sold out Rajamangala stadium (2pm BST).

It is a once in a lifetime opportunity for these fans to catch their heroes live, in a game against traditional rivals. For Jürgen Klopp, it represents a chance to see his charges build on the training they’ve gotten through against serious opposition.

United reported for pre-season a full week before the Reds did, with Erik Ten Hag keen to get to know his new squad and begin imprinting his ideas and methodology. This means United should be sharper as they’re further along in their preparation.

For the Liverpool squad, this game represents a first taste of action as the preparation for the 2022/23 season begins in earnest. New signings will be eager to impress, whilst players on the fringes will be looking to catch the eye as the jostling for a starting place commences.

Pre-season friendlies usually have a training feel to it but this should be different. The name of the opposition means there will be more at stake than just fitness buildup or even the ‘Bangkok Century Cup’ (as the sponsors have named it).

There’s always bragging rights at stake when these two sides meet, no matter the occasion. Shaqiri’s wonderful overhead kick against United in the US back in 2018 remains a fond memory.

United will be looking to get one over on us after the battering we handed them last season. An aggregate scoreline of 9-0 is a particular source of embarrassment for the Red Devils, and they would love nothing more than victory tomorrow to herald the start of the Ten Hag era.

It should be a good test, against good opposition. That United could be fitter as well raises the bar for the Reds as they try to compete infront of a passionate crowd. It should be a good runout, with possible debuts for Fabio Carvalho and Darwin Nunez.

Team News

The first batch of players that arrived at the AXA Training Ground last week will be heavily involved. The internationals who only joined up with the squad for this trip will be limited to late cameos as they build up their own fitness.

There should be a lot of youngsters on show as a result, with the manager likely making 11 changes at the break. It’s a 37 man squad so we can expect to see lots of players get minutes.

Diogo Jota is expected to miss out however as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury he picked up in Portugal’s Nations League game against Switzerland last month.

Predicted XI:

Adrian, Van den Berg, Matip, Gomez, Norris, Henderson, Elliott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Carvalho, Firmino, Diaz