One day after doing battle with Manchester City in the Community Shield, Liverpool return to Anfield for Sunday's pre-season friendly with Ligue 1 side Strasbourg.
The Reds suffered a 1-0 defeat to Red Bull Salzburg in their most recent friendly, while Julien Stephan's side also went down 2-1 to Cagliari.
Match preview
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Jurgen Klopp has never been one to hide his displeasure at a hectic fixture schedule, and the Liverpool boss must prepare his team for two matches in as many days before the commencement of their new Premier League campaign.
Twenty-four hours after the FA and EFL Cup holders face off against Man City at the King Power Stadium in the annual curtain-raiser, Klopp's side will return to their headquarters for the friendly with Strasbourg, so utilising their enviable squad depth is of paramount importance.
A far from experienced Liverpool XI took to the field against Salzburg at the end of their Austria training camp on Wednesday and went down to a winner from Benjamin Sesko, which made it two wins and two defeats from their pre-season period.
Klopp has also announced that the Reds will continue their friendly schedule even after the Premier League campaign kicks off, but one can imagine that the German coach will put out a second-string side for their imminent return to Anfield.
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The arrival of Julien Stephan at the Stade de la Meinau acted as the catalyst for a phenomenal period of progress for Strasbourg in Ligue 1 last term, as Les Coureurs just missed on a place in Europe, finishing sixth in the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season.
Strasbourg's pre-season form has the recognisable look of a traffic light, as Stephan's side posted back-to-back wins over Sion and Charleroi before a pair of consecutive draws with Brentford and Freiburg, with 10 goals scored across those two encounters
Last time out, Strasbourg returned to the Stade de la Meinau to welcome Serie A side Cagliari, who struck early doors through Jacopo Desogus and Leonardo Pavoletti, and Adrien Thomasson's rapid response could not inspire a late comeback in a 2-1 defeat.
A heavyweight encounter with Monaco represents Strasbourg's first Ligue 1 game of the new term, and Les Coureurs have previous experience when it comes to getting the better of Liverpool, as the Ligue 1 side overcame the Reds 3-2 on aggregate in the second round of the 1997-98 UEFA Cup.
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Team News
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Liverpool boss Klopp has already announced that Alisson Becker and Diogo Jota will not be involved in any capacity this weekend, while Kostas Tsimikas, Caoimhin Kelleher, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Calvin Ramsay have also been nursing injuries in pre-season.
Third-choice goalkeeper Adrian will likely be required for the Community Shield, so Klopp may be forced to field 20-year-old academy product Liam Hughes in between the sticks on Sunday.
The likes of Curtis Jones, James Milner, Joe Gomez and Fabio Carvalho ought to be more heavily involved in Sunday's game than Saturday's, and there may also be a start for 19-year-old Tyler Morton. Fans may also catch a glimpse of Jay Spearing in action following his appointment to the club's Under-23s as a player-coach.
Meanwhile, Strasbourg boss Stephan should stick with the 5-2-1-2 setup which served his side so well last term, and full-back acquisitions have been in abundance with Colin Dagba, Ronael Pierre-Gabriel and Thomas Delaine all arriving.
Star striker Ludovic Ajorque - who struck 12 goals and set up eight more in Ligue 1 last term - is being linked with a move to Newcastle United, but the 6ft 5in target man should still form a partnership with either Habib Diallo or the veteran Kevin Gameiro here.
With left-back Anthony Caci joining Bundesliga side Mainz 05 on loan for the season, Delaine should occupy one of the flanks at Anfield.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Hughes; Gomez, Konate, Van den Berg, Milner; Jones, Morton, Keita; Carvalho, Nunez, Elliott
Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Sels; Dagba, Djiku, Perrin, Nyamsi, Delaine; Sissoko, Bellegarde; Thomasson; Ajorque, Diallo
We say: Liverpool 0-2 Strasbourg
Even if one of Roberto Firmino or Darwin Nunez leads the line for Liverpool on Sunday, a youthful and second-string side should not experience much joy against a full-strength Strasbourg.
The Anfield faithful may be celebrating Community Shield glory on Saturday, but it is Stephan's surprise package who should be victorious on the Anfield turf.
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