Liverpool return to action for the first time since the tragic loss of forward Diogo Jota, as they travel to Deepdale to take on Preston in a pre-season friendly.
Despite talks of potentially postponing this fixture, the match will go ahead following the tragic death of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, and his brother Andre Silva who were tragically killed in a car crash in the early hours of last Thursday morning.
This will also be the first time since Liverpool stepped on the pitch since being awarded the Premier League trophy following their 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on the final day of the season.
Preston, on the other hand, stayed up in the Championship by the skin of their teeth last season, with their draw at Bristol City on the final day of the season meant they finished only one point above the relegation zone.
Paul Heckingbottom’s side have already been in pre-season action, winning 1-0 away at Chorley on Wednesday, but this will be a step up in quality.
How the bookies view it: No odds available yet
Liverpool are expected to be favourites here, but no odds are available yet. Will update them when markets appear.
Head to head: Liverpool dominance
These two clubs met in the third round of the FA Cup in 2009 and the fourth round of the League Cup in 2021, with The Reds winning 2-0 on both occasions.
Players to watch: It’s a go for Flo
Liverpool smashed their transfer record this summer to bring in Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal potentially worth £116 million. The German could be in line to make his unofficial Liverpool debut, and is worth a look in the player to score/assist markets.
Predicted line-ups:
Paul Heckingbottom used two different starting 11s in each half of their recent friendly victory at Chorley in midweek, so he may start with a similar one that started the first half.
New Reds signings Giorgi Mamardashvili, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirth are all available – but Harvey Elliot and Tyler Morton received an extra break following their triumph with the England U21 at the Euros.
Preston North End: Iversen, Offiah, Lindsay, McCann, Hughes, Okkels, Kamara, Osmajic, Lescott, Tarry, Carroll
Liverpool: Mamardashvili, Bradley, Van Dijk, Gomez, Kerkez, MacAllister, Gravenberch, Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo, Szoboszlai
Anything else catch the eye?
Friendlies are hard enough to predict as it is, but given the tragedy Liverpool have suffered the last week or so with the death of Diogo Jota, it’s hard to tell what frame of mind the players will be in.
You would still imagine Liverpool will prove to be too strong for a Preston side that only narrowly avoided the drop to League One last season, so backing Liverpool team goals would be the safest option, I’d reckon.
Depending on the starting 11, but Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo would appear to be the best options for a goal if they start, as is the new record-signing, Florian Wirtz.
No markets available yet, will try to update when they become available.
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