Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's pre-season friendly between Bayern Munich and Liverpool at the Allianz Arena. This is the first of the two-day Audi Cup tournament, with the winners of this match playing either Atletico Madrid or Napoli in the final and the losers playing the other in the third-place playoff tomorrow. It is a step-up in class for Liverpool in particular as preparations for the new season continue, so it will be interesting to see how they cope tonight. Before we get into that, though, let's have a look at the team news...

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Karius; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Matip, Moreno; Henderson, Can, Coutinho; Mane, Salah, Firmino

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Mignolet, Ward, Wijnaldum, Sturridge, Grujic, Klavan, Lallana, Robertson, Solanke, Flanagan, Kent, Ejaria, Woodburn

BAYERN MUNICH STARTING XI: Ulreich; Rafinha, Hummels, Martinez, Alaba; Thiago, Tolisso, Ribery, James, Muller; Lewandowski

BAYERN MUNICH SUBS: Fruchtl, Sule, Crnicki, Rudy, Vidal, Coman, Kimmich, TIllman, Friedl, Sanches, Mai, Awoudja, Wintzheimer, Heiland

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well Bayern fans would be forgiven for still trying to get used to seeing a teamsheet without Philipp Lahm's name on following his retirement this summer, but there are plenty of other star names in the XI named by Carlo Ancelotti tonight. One notable absentee is Manuel Neuer, who remains sidelined, so Ulreich starts between the sticks once again having also played against Inter Milan last time out.

There are just three changes overall from the side that started against Inter, which is relatively rare in pre-season. One of those comes at the back as Javi Martinez comes into the team alongside Mats Hummels, who became a household name during his time at Dortmund under now Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. Rafinha continues on the right side of the defender, meanwhile, while David Alaba also retains his place on the opposite flank.

Bayern's big-money summer signing Corentin Tolisso is another to keep his place in the side from that Inter game, and he is joined in the deeper midfield position by Thiago, who has recovered from an injury he sustained during Bayern's time in Asia. Franck Ribery was another who saw that tour cut short by injury, but he too has made a quick recovery and is deemed fit enough to start tonight alongside the loan signing from Real Madrid James Rodriguez.

Rodriguez has been linked with Liverpool in the past, but this summer his new Bayern teammate Thomas Muller was also rumoured to be of interest to the Anfield club. There is no doubting the German's quality, but his level has perhaps dropped a little in recent seasons and he is no longer a guaranteed starter every week. He does get the nod from the start tonight, though, and his presence will give Bayern an even greater threat going forward alongside the deadly Robert Lewandowski.

As for Liverpool, fans will be immediately drawn to the front three of Mane, Salah and Firmino which, on paper, looks hugely exciting. This will be the first chance fans have got to see the blistering pace of Mane and Salah on the pitch at the same time for Liverpool, and it will be interesting to see how they line up as both usually play on the right flank. It looks as though Salah will move over to the left tonight, although those two and Firmino could switch regularly throughout the game.

The front three should not have to worry about a lack of service either, with Philippe Coutinho once again given a deeper-lying midfield position tonight. The Brazilian's performances so far in pre-season suggest that he is paying no heed to the speculation regarding his future at the club, and he has already formed a decent partnership with Salah, laying on two very good goals for him in the last couple of games. Captain Jordan Henderson and Emre Can partner him in midfield as Wijnaldum and Lallana drop to the bench.

There are some interesting selections at the back, with Alberto Moreno once again being preferred to new signing Andrew Robertson from the start tonight. Moreno was expected to leave Anfield this summer, but he has seen a decent amount of game time so far in pre-season and, while Robertson may not quite be up to speed with his new teammates yet, the fact that Moreno has been chosen ahead of him again is notable. Milner has not been deemed fit enough to play, but Lovren does return to partner Klavan following a muscle injury.

Tonight is a big chance for Trent Alexander-Arnold to impress, particularly given that it looks as though Nathaniel Clyne will not be available for the start of the new Premier League season. Clyne continues to struggle with a back injury and, with Gomez also out, Alexander-Arnold seems to be in pole position to start at right-back in the season opener. The full-back is highly rated at Liverpool, and this will be a good opportunity for him to test himself against some truly world-class players. In goal, meanwhile, Karius returns following a brief absence through injury.

It is not a full-strength side for either club, then, but Bayern Munich still go into the game as favourites on home soil, despite their unconvincing performances so far this summer. Carlo Ancelotti will be quick to stress that it is only pre-season and the results are secondary to getting the team match fit ahead of the new season, but it always helps to win games. Bayern are hardly going to be lacking for confidence going into the new campaign, but three defeats from their last four friendlies is never a good thing.

The only team of note Bayern have beaten in pre-season so far is Premier League champions Chelsea, when they raced into a 3-0 lead early on before holding off a comeback to win 3-2. Ancelotti's side did also thrash Erlangen-Bruck 9-1 in their opening pre-season game, but against high-class opposition they have drawn with Arsenal before losing on penalties, and lost to both of the Milan clubs - 4-0 in the case of AC Milan.

It should be reiterated that those results mean very little in pre-season, but there may be a few worrying thoughts beginning to creep into a few fans' heads. Bayern didn't enjoy the best season by their own very high standards last season in what was Carlo Ancelotti's first campaign in Germany. THey did win the Bundesliga title for a record fifth time in a row - which would be enough for most clubs - but exits from the DFB-Pokal semi-finals and Champions League quarter-finals were disappointing.

Of course, a team like Liverpool would bite your hand off if you offered them just the league title in a season, but Bayern are such a force in German football that the true measure of their success largely comes on the European front. Pep Guardiola's time in Munich seemed to be unfulfilled by his failure to win the competition, and the same could apply for Ancelotti. The Italian is certainly the right man to lift them back to the top of European football, though, having won the trophy three times as a manager - a record only matched by Liverpool's Bob Paisley.

Bayern were once again the undisputed best team in Germany by some distance last season, finishing 15 points clear of second-placed RB Leipzig and 18 above Dortmund to win their fifth straight league title. Bayern lost five fewer games than any other side and had comfortably both the best attack and best defence, but it could be a different test for them this season as Ancelotti's sets about changing a bit of the structure of the team. They have lost Lahm and Alonso to retirement this summer, and four of their six summer signings so far are 22 or below.

Two of those new arrivals are on show from the start tonight, with the £35m man Corentin Tolisso leading the way. Bayern have also brought in James Rodriguez from Real Madrid, signing Kingsley Coman on a permanent deal and brought in Niklas Sule and Sebastian Rudy. There is youth amongst those players, then, but there is also quality and they haven't bought players in the hope that they will turn good - they have bought good young players who should get even better.

Bayern, of course, have the home advantage tonight, but they lost two of their last five home games in 2016-17 having gone through the entire campaign unbeaten in front of their own fans before that. Indeed, they lost as many home matches in those last five games as they had in their previous 49, so there is hope for Liverpool yet. Bayern will begin the new Bundesliga season at home too, taking on Leverkusen on August 18.

Liverpool's season will already be well underway by that point, with the Reds kicking off against Watford on August 12 in what could be a tricky opening day fixture. Indeed, they have been handed a pretty hard start on the whole, facing four of last season's top six in their first nine games. After Watford, Liverpool will face Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Manchester City, Burnley, Leicester, Newcastle, Manchester United and Tottenham in succession.

Those big games were where Liverpool were most impressive last season - it was the smaller ones that let them down all too often. It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will still have such an impact against their direct top-six rivals while juggling their domestic duties with European football too, though. The draw from the Champions League playoff round will take place on Friday, and Liverpool will be keeping an eager eye out to see who they are drawn against.

The first leg of that Champions League playoff will take place on either August 15 or 16, just a few days after their opening game of the season at Watford. The schedule of two matches a week is set to start from the very beginning of the season, then, and Liverpool have had a fairly busy pre-season to ensure that they will be ready for it. This will be their sixth match of the summer, with another one against Napoli or Atletico Madrid to come tomorrow.

Liverpool will then play their final pre-season game against Athletic Bilbao in Dublin on Saturday, one week before the start of the Premier League season, and if they still have their unbeaten record intact by that point then they will have got past some of Europe's biggest clubs along the way. Tonight and tomorrow will undoubtedly be steps up from what Liverpool have faced already this summer, but it is the type of match they need to experience ahead of their return to the Champions League.

Jurgen Klopp's side are unbeaten in pre-season so far, winning four and drawing one of their five outings. That includes a trip to Hong Kong where Liverpool beaten Crystal Palace and Leicester to win the Premier League Asia Trophy, before this current tour to Germany which began with a 3-0 win over Hertha Berlin. The Reds were impressive in that game against a team which finished sixth in the Bundesliga last season, with Solanke, Wijnaldum and Salah all on the scoresheet.

Solanke and Salah both seemed to have settled in well since their summer arrivals, already opening their accounts for the club and then adding to that further on Saturday. Andrew Robertson also made his debut against Hertha so it was a good day all round for Liverpool's new boys, but fans will be hopeful of seeing more business done before the end of the window. The Reds seem to have backed off in their pursuit of Naby Keita for now after being told that he is not for sale, while the saga surrounding Virgil van Dijk continues to rumble on.

The biggest transfer noise coming out of Anfield in the last few days has been regarding Philippe Coutinho's future, though. The Brazilian playmaker has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, but Jurgen Klopp yesterday reiterated that he is not for sale at any price. Barca would likely have to pay in excess of £100m for Liverpool to even consider the bid, and that price is likely to be rising with every impressive performance in pre-season.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Allianz Arena, which means that it is time for a prediction! These two sides have been in contrasting pre-season form so far and both have players starting the match who are capable of being match-winners. Bayern have the home advantage, but Klopp's style of football tends to work better against the bigger teams. Even so, I'm going for Bayern to win what should hopefully be a high-scoring affair 3-2.

These two sides have met six times in competitive action before, and Liverpool have only ever lost one of those. You have to go back 16 years for the most recent clash when Liverpool ran out 3-2 winners in the European Super Cup, with Riise, Heskey and Owen scoring for Liverpool and Salihamidzic and Jancker finding the back of the net for Bayern.

Of those six previous meetings, three have ended up as draws including both legs of the most famous tie between the two clubs - the 1981 European Cup semi-final. Ray Kennedy's goal in Munich sent Liverpool through to the final on away goals, where they beat Real Madrid to lift their third European Cup in the space of five years.

The first match of this year's Audi Cup has already been played earlier today, and it was Atletico Madrid who emerged victorious courtesy of a late comeback to win 2-1. That means that the winners of this game will face Atletico in the final tomorrow, while the losers take on Napoli in the third-place playoff.

Right, we're just a couple of minutes away from kickoff at the Allianz Arena now, so let me remind you of the two teams before they get this game underway...

BAYERN MUNICH STARTING XI: Ulreich; Rafinha, Hummels, Martinez, Alaba; Thiago, Tolisso, Ribery, James, Muller; Lewandowski

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Karius; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Matip, Moreno; Henderson, Can, Coutinho; Mane, Salah, Firmino

KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Bayern Munich get us underway at the Allianz Arena!

The rain is pouring down in Munich tonight, which could make things a little more difficult for both sets of players.

Bayern Munich have quickly taken control of possession in this match, as you might expect, but Liverpool have had a couple of chances to break too and the pace of Salah and Mane could be deadly.

What was I saying about that pace? Mane gets back on the scoresheet for the first time since his April injury, latching on to Firmino's pass before clipping his finish into the far corner. Firmino wins possession inside the Bayern half and immediately gets onto the front foot before pushing the ball out for Mane, who made no mistake with his finish.

This Liverpool front four really does look dangerous, but perhaps the most intriguing thing for the Reds tonight will be their defence. They are up against one of Europe's best attacks here so it will be a big test for a unit which was questioned last year.

Almost a chance for Liverpool to break again as Salah picks up a loose ball inside the Bayern half, but this time they don't go for the jugular and nothing comes of it.

CHANCE! Big chance for Liverpool to double their lead inside 13 minutes! Firmino's flick round the corner releases Moreno down the left flank and he plays an inch-perfect low ball across the area for Salah at the back post. The winger tries to sneak his finish in at the near post, though, and Ulreich is there to turn it behind.

Chance for Bayern to test Karius for the first time as Lovren trips Rodriguez within shooting range...

SHOT! Alaba takes on the free kick duties, but he curls his effort comfortably wide of the target.

Here is the goal which separates the two sides as things stand. Mane, you will notice, is playing on the left while Salah continues on the right.

GOAL! Mane gives @LFC the lead! Watch live on ITV4 pic.twitter.com/2fiamS5owl — ITV Football (@itvfootball) August 1, 2017

Thiago has a problem here. He walks over to the touchline holding his hip before lying down and requiring treatment from the physios. He may not be able to continue here.

BAYERN MUNICH SUB: Sure enough there is the change as Renato Sanches replaces the injured Thiago.

Poor challenge from Rafinha as he dives into a challenge on Mane, who is left in a heap on the floor having skipped past the full-back. That was naughty from the Bayern man, but Mane should be fine to continue.

Change for Liverpool to test the keeper again here as Firmino wins a free kick just outside the area. Coutinho is standing over this one with Moreno...

SAVE! It is Moreno who goes for goal, and it is not a bad effort at all. Ulreich makes a one-handed stop, though, and the ball eventually goes to safety having dropped in a dangerous position.

Alexander-Arnold makes the break forward this time, cutting inside and trying to go alone before finally being stopped in his tracks on the edge of the Bayern box.

Jurgen Klopp will be very pleased by what he has seen in the opening half an hour or so in this match. Karius is yet to be really troubled, whereas Ulreich has been forced into a couple of good stops.

Bayern patiently knock the ball around inside the Liverpool half, but there is no way through the Liverpool defence. It is all a bit too slow from the hosts so far, whereas Liverpool are being very direct and quick when they get the ball.

Liverpool are thankful to the linesman's flag here as he calls Ribery back for offside when the winger was clean through on goal. The replay - showed on the big screen - shows that it was very tight indeed.

Salah has really hit the ground running at Liverpool! The summer signing scores his fourth goal of pre-season, and this one is the easiest of the lot as he nods a header into an unguarded net. The scorer of the first goal Sadio Mane has a big role to play again as he flicks the ball into the path of the overlapping Moreno, who fizzes a ball across the face of goal. Ulreich gets a hand to it, but that only takes it to Salah to nod home.

And here is that goal...

GOAL!!! What a piece of skill from Mane in the build-up to Salah's finish! Watch LIVE on ITV4 pic.twitter.com/oSrTeJ7jmw — ITV Football (@itvfootball) August 1, 2017

Bayern have their best attacking moment of the match so far as Alaba plays a ball into the box which both Rodriguez and Muller go for. They end up getting in each other's way, though, and it is easy for Karius to gather.

Liverpool have looked very good in this first half. They are fully deserving of their two-goal lead at the moment and Mane and Salah in particular look dangerous every time they come forward with that pace. They will cause some serious problems next season!

Bayern are still seeing plenty of the ball, but it is all too slow and lethargic at the moment. They have not even looked like scoring yet, which with a lot of their big hitters out in attack is very uncharacteristic.

Rafinha has another kick at Mane now - his second naughty challenge of the match. Mane has had him on toast this evening and Rafinha's frustration is clearly growing.

The referee brings an end to the first half at the Allianz Arena, and it has been Liverpool's game so far. The Reds are 2-0 up at the break and are well worthy of that lead too. Bayern have barely offered anything going forward, while the pace of Firmino and Salah - Liverpool's two goalscorers - has caused the hosts all sorts of problems.

The opening goal arrived after just seven minutes when Firmino won possession right on the halfway line and immediately drove forward before playing the ball through for Mane. Rafinha was out of position and that allowed Mane time to clip his finish past Ulreich, who should have done better. It was a blistering break from the Reds, though, and that was a sign of things to come.

Liverpool doubled their advantage with a little over 10 minutes remaining of the first half, and it was the winger on the opposite side this time as Salah nodded home into an empty net. Mane had flicked the ball into path the overlapping Moreno, whose cross was parried by Ulreich straight to Salah to nod home. Again, the goalkeeper did not cover himself in glory, but it was another example of Liverpool hurting Bayern with their pace down the flanks.

The much-maligned Moreno has actually been very good for Liverpool tonight, although his defensive capabilities have not been tested as much as might have been expected. The Spaniard set up another clear chance for Salah which could have easily led to the second goal after just 13 minutes, while he himself has forced a save from Ulreich with a good free kick.

KICKOFF: Liverpool get the second half underway, and there have been changes at the break from the visitors. Adam Lallana and Georginio Wijnaldum come on in place of the dangerous Mane and Can.

Mane was one of Liverpool's standout players in the first half, but he is still working his way back to full fitness and had been on the end of a couple of heavy challenges in that first half so it is not worth taking any risks. Rafinha will certainly be glad to see the back of him.

YELLOW CARD! Bayern get desperate to stop another Liverpool counter, with Sanches turning to rugby to haul back Firmino. The inevitable yellow card follows.

Almost a chance for Liverpool as Lallana knocks the ball back to Firmino, who sees his shot from the edge of the box blocked. The ball almost falls to Wijnaldum, but he just overruns it.

Liverpool are almost in behind again as Coutinho flicks the ball through to Salah, who only has the keeper to beat. The linesman's flag is raised then, and while it was tight the replay shows it was right.

There has been a lot of speculation over the future of Sanches this summer, with Liverpool among those linked, but he hasn't looked himself so far tonight. The Portugal international looked like a future star just a year ago, but after a difficult first campaign that confidence seems to have gone.

A Mexican wave is making its way around the Allianz Arena right now, with the fans turning to making their own enjoyment. The game itself has been good, but Bayern have given their supporters very little to shout about.

SHOT! A rare shot on goal for Bayern as the ball drops to Rodriguez and he quickly unleashes a powerful strike from around 25 yards out. Karius dives, but the ball fizzes a few yards wide of the target.

Very good defending from Hummels as Sanches gives the ball away to Firmino, allowing the Brazilian to immediately stride forward. He has support coming, but he tries to go alone and Hummels dispossesses him expertly. Sanches got away with one there!

BAYERN MUNICH SUB: Bayern make their second change of the night as Rodriguez goes off with what looks like another injury, being replaced by Kingsley Coman.

Hummels is the latest to put in a poor challenge, coming in from behind on Firmino. Klopp will be wincing every time one of his players go down - the last thing he needs is an injury this close to the start of the season.

Sanches finds Coman down the right flank with a good crossfield pass, and the winger takes it down before whipping a beauty of a ball across the face of goal. No Bayern players are there to attack it, though, and it goes through to safety.

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Liverpool make four changes as Ryan Kent, Ragnar Klavan, Marko Grujic and Daniel Sturridge replace Firmino, Matip, Salah and Henderson.

SHOT! Sturridge is immediately into the thick of the action as Sturridge is released down the left channel, but he has not support and is forced into going for goal from a tight angle. He tries to pick out the far corner, but his shot flashes wide of the target.

This may end up going down as an own goal, but two more subs combine to make it as Liverpool put this game to bed once and for all. It is brilliant from Kent as he skips past Rafinha to reach the byline down the left channel before pulling the ball back for Grujic, who fires his finish in off the inside of the post. It looks as though it might be popping back out, but it hits the keeper on the back of the leg and goes in.

There is confusion inside the Allianz at the moment - the scoreboard still says 2-0 to Liverpool and there is a suggestion that the goal was ruled out because of an offside against Lallana.

DISALLOWED! Confirmation has now arrived that the goal was indeed ruled out. It remains 2-0 to Liverpool, but that must have been a very delayed decision.

Here is that goal that never was...

NO GOAL! Grujic gets on the end of a pull back from Kent to make it 3-0 to @LFC. At least he thought he had. Watch live on ITV4 pic.twitter.com/5lnd7zXwv0

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) August 1, 2017

BAYERN MUNICH SUB: Another change for the hosts as Friedl replaces Alaba, who also looks as though he has picked up an injury.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Liverpool also make a change, with Jon Flanagan replacing Alexander-Arnold.

CLOSE! Almost a third for Liverpool through Moreno, who has had his best game in a long time tonight. A corner is only cleared as far as the full-back, who sends a low first-time drive skimming past the far post.

CLOSE! Bayern come close at the other end as Vidal's strike deflects narrowly wide of the target. Somehow it is ruled as a handball, though, and Bayern have a free kick. Another questionable - and late - decision from the ref.

CLOSE! The free kick hits the wall and goes behind for a corner, which Bayern use inventively. It is played short to Muller, who sweeps it in low for Hummels to turn wide of the far post.

Liverpool do have their third goal, and it is the pick of the bunch. One ball through releases Sturridge behind the defence, and his finish is exquisite as he scoops the ball over the keeper. It is a brilliant finish, but it is a bittersweet moment as he looks to have picked up an injury while scoring.

You could see the grimace on Sturridge face as he dinked that ball over the keeper. He is not moving freely at the moment, but he is still out there which suggests that he may be able to run it off.

LIVERPOOL SUB: This is such a shame for Sturridge. Moments after scoring a brilliant goal, Sturridge is forced off and replaced by Dominic Solanke.

YELLOW CARDS! Late yellow cards for both Vidal and Lallana for a minor bust-up between the pair.

It is only pre-season, but that was very impressive from Liverpool. They run out 3-0 winners over Bayern, who really weren't themselves tonight and didn't have a single shot on target of note. Take nothing away from Liverpool's performance, though, as goals from Mane, Salah and Sturridge - the latter of whom later went off injured - saw them pick up a convincing and fully deserved victory at the Allianz Arena. Atletico Madrid await in the Audi Cup final tomorrow!

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's pre-season friendly as Liverpool thrash Bayern Munich 3-0 to reach the final of the Audi Cup. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to check back in for coverage of that final against Atletico Madrid tomorrow. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!