The complete guide to Liverpool's 2017 pre-season
With Liverpool set to return to pre-season training next week and their first friendly now only 10 days away, we map out the full plan for the month ahead.
Jürgen Klopp’s players will kick off preparations for 2017-18 when they return to Melwood on Wednesday, having enjoyed a break after securing fourth place in the Premier League last term.
A week’s worth of work at the West Derby base precedes the opening game of the pre-season schedule, which later includes trips to Hong Kong, Germany and the Republic of Ireland.
Read on for a full guide to the matches on the agenda.
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Tranmere Rovers v Liverpool – Wednesday July 12, 7.45pm – Prenton Park
Liverpool’s 2017 pre-season schedule begins in the same place as 2016: Prenton Park.
A year on from the 1-0 victory against Tranmere that opened the team’s campaign, Klopp and his players will once again make the short trip to Birkenhead to face the National League side.
Danny Ings was the match-winner 12 months ago on an evening when Reds fans were given a first glimpse of new signings Loris Karius, Joel Matip and Sadio Mane.
Wigan Athletic v Liverpool – Friday July 14, 7.30pm – DW Stadium
The Reds are set for another repeat of 2016 this month, too, with a return to Wigan pencilled in as the club’s second preparatory match.
Last year’s contest ended in a 2-0 success for the visitors as Ings again broke the deadlock before Ben Woodburn served notice of his talents ahead of a breakthrough campaign by doubling the advantage in cool style.
Liverpool’s most recent competitive meeting with Wigan – who were relegated from the Championship in 2016-17 – was a 4-0 triumph at the DW Stadium in March 2013.
Liverpool v Crystal Palace – Wednesday July 19, 1.30pm – Hong Kong Stadium
After the pair of local friendlies, Liverpool will embark on their latest trip to Asia, on this occasion to participate in the Premier League Asia Trophy in Hong Kong.
Klopp’s side have been drawn against Crystal Palace in their first match at the tournament, with Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion also involved and facing off in the day’s other clash.
Tickets for the event sold out rapidly, with the Reds set to feature for the second time – the manager’s maiden trip to the region with the club.
Liverpool v TBC – Saturday July 22, TBC – Hong Kong Stadium
The Reds will then tackle either the Foxes or the Baggies in their second game in Hong Kong, depending on the results in the tournament’s first round of fixtures.
“We’ll be playing against Premier League teams and there is no better way to prepare for the Premier League than to play against teams that are featuring in it,” said goalkeeper Simon Mignolet recently.
“That will give us a good base to start next year in a good way.”
Liverpool v Hertha BSC – Saturday July 29, 5pm - Olympiastadion
As each club celebrates its 125th anniversary year, a special friendly has been arranged between the Reds and Hertha to jointly mark the occasion.
Berlin’s historic Olympiastadion provides the venue for the match-up, which will be played under the banner ‘Celebrating football since 1892’.
The sides previously met at the same ground back in 2008 and this latest game is Liverpool’s fourth friendly encounter with the Bundesliga outfit.
Liverpool v Bayern Munich – Tuesday August 1, 7.30pm – Allianz Arena
Klopp’s men will remain in Germany to complement a stellar line-up in the Audi Cup this summer, alongside hosts Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Napoli.
The draw has pitted Liverpool against the Bundesliga giants on the opening day of the tournament, while the Spanish and Italian participants will meet in the other semi-final.
The winners of each match progress to the final and the losers clash in the third-place play-off, guaranteeing four encounters of high quality in Bavaria.
“The tournament is 12 to 13 days before the season starts and therefore it has a very high relevance sports-wise,” said the boss.
“We will [have been] in training for more than a month and then we want to find out where we stand and, of course, you can only find out where you are if you play the best teams.”
Liverpool v TBC – Wednesday August 2, TBC – Allianz Arena
A date with Atletico or Napoli will await Liverpool on day two of the competition in Munich.
It’s seven years since the Reds faced either team, in the semi-finals of the 2009-10 Europa League and the tournament’s group stage the following season respectively.
The penultimate game in the pre-season schedule will be the third and final in Germany, before Klopp’s men head to the Republic of Ireland to conclude their tour.
Liverpool v Athletic Club – Saturday August 5, 5.15pm – Aviva Stadium
More than three decades have passed since Liverpool last faced Athletic Club in a competitive fixture – a 1-0 win in Spain that secured an aggregate victory for Joe Fagan’s team in the 1983-84 European Cup.
The Aviva Stadium will host the two sides, a familiar venue for the Reds after friendly encounters there against Shamrock Rovers in 2014 and Celtic the previous year.
This match is set to be the final friendly before Klopp’s charges get their season proper under way by visiting Watford on the opening weekend of the Premier League.