Liverpool face Wrexham at Yankee Stadium in New York on Wednesday 29 July, kicking off at 7.30pm local time (12.30am BST on Thursday 30 July), in the middle fixture of a three city US tour that also includes Sunderland in Nashville and Leeds United in Chicago.
Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League last season on 60 points, producing underlying numbers that reflected a side capable of challenging higher up the table, averaging 1.59 xG and 1.29 xGA per game.
Wrexham recorded the best campaign in their history by finishing seventh in the Championship on 71 points, although their underlying figures were less convincing, averaging 1.45 xG and 1.32 xGA, suggesting they consistently edged tight matches rather than dominating opponents.
Liverpool made a winning start under Andoni Iraola with a 4-2 victory over Sunderland in Nashville. Kieran Morrison, Federico Chiesa, Dominik Szoboszlai and Lewis Koumas all scored after Sunderland had twice led through Enzo Le Fee and Timur Tutierov.
The bigger story, though, came in defence. Captain Joe Gomez was forced off inside the opening 10 minutes, adding to an injury list that already included Giovanni Leoni, who continues his recovery from an ACL injury. Ibrahima Konate has departed for Real Madrid, while £55 million signing Jeremy Jacquet is being carefully managed after a lengthy spell out with a shoulder injury and is not expected to feature until the final match of the tour against Leeds.
Liverpool finished the Sunderland game with teenagers Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe at centre back, both signed this summer, prompting Iraola to admit his defensive options are currently “very thin”. With Virgil van Dijk carrying much of the responsibility, Liverpool's lack of experienced cover has become one of the biggest talking points of their preseason.
There is better news further forward. Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch had already linked up with the squad in Chicago before the Sunderland fixture and returned to full training the following day. Minutes against Wrexham remain uncertain, although their reintegration provides another boost as Liverpool continue building towards the Premier League campaign.
Wrexham arrive with confidence after producing two impressive results against Premier League opposition. They followed a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in Helsinki with a 3-2 win against Leeds United in Tampa. Kieffer Moore scored inside the opening minute against Leeds before Bailey Cadamarteri restored the lead after Leeds had levelled, with Sam Smith continuing his excellent preseason by scoring the winner for the second consecutive game.
Phil Parkinson described the Leeds victory as “a feather in our cap” and said the performance provided “a good performance to take us into the Liverpool game”. Several players involved at the World Cup are still absent after being granted additional time off, although the squad has adapted well following significant changes over the past year.
How the bookies view it
At the time of writing there are no odds available for this fixture.
Head to head: First meeting between these two sides
This will be the first meeting between Liverpool and Wrexham, leaving no previous meetings to analyse.
Player to watch: Rio Ngumoha big season expected
Rio Ngumoha made the starting line-up against Sunderland and appears well placed for another opportunity as Iraola continues rotating heavily throughout preseason.
The teenager made 32 senior appearances last season, including 11 starts, scoring three goals and contributing one assist from 27 shots, nine of which were on target.
With Liverpool carefully managing several senior attackers, these friendlies provide an ideal platform for Ngumoha to continue his development and strengthen his case ahead of the new campaign.
Predicted line ups
Liverpool (4-3-3): Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Gomez, Jones, Tsimikas; McConnell, Elliott, Ndiaye; Ngumoha, Morrison, Wright.
Wrexham (3-4-2-1): Okonkwo; Vyner, Hyam, Brunt; A. James, M. James, O'Brien, Thomason; Cadamarteri, Broadhead; K. Moore.
Anything else catch the eye?
If bookmakers price up the usual goals markets, both teams to score is the angle that stands out.
Liverpool have already shown enough going forward to score goals despite fielding heavily rotated line-ups, hitting four against Sunderland with several senior attackers still unavailable.
The concern remains at the opposite end of the pitch. Injuries, transfers and fitness issues have left Iraola short of recognised central defenders, forcing inexperienced teenagers into important minutes far earlier than expected.
Wrexham, meanwhile, have carried genuine momentum through the opening stages of preseason. Victories over Manchester United and Leeds United have given Parkinson's side belief, while Sam Smith, Kieffer Moore and Bailey Cadamarteri have all contributed goals against Premier League opposition.
Preseason results should never be overplayed, but Liverpool's defensive issues look real rather than temporary, and Wrexham have already shown enough attacking quality to punish mistakes. If those patterns continue in New York, both teams to score would be the strongest early lean once prices become available.
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