Liverpool will continue their preparations for the new season when they welcome AS Monaco to Anfield on Sunday for their fourth pre-season friendly.
The fixture will be the Reds’ first pre-season match on home soil and the first opportunity for new head coach Andoni Iraola to lead Liverpool at Anfield since taking charge.
Liverpool returned to the AXA Training Centre this week following their tour of the United States, where Iraola had the chance to assess his squad and begin implementing his ideas ahead of the new campaign.
The manager believes the upcoming fixtures will be crucial as Liverpool build towards their Premier League opener away to Newcastle United later this month.
“I hope you all enjoyed a good summer break, and I hope you are all looking forward to Sunday’s game as much as we are,” Iraola said in the matchday programme.
“This fixture, plus the games we have scheduled next week against Como, will be hugely beneficial for us as we start to look ahead to our first Premier League game, up at Newcastle, in a few weeks’ time.”
Iraola also reflected positively on Liverpool’s American tour, despite the team’s heavy defeat to Leeds in their final game.
The Spanish coach said the trip provided an important introduction to the club and allowed his staff to conduct valuable work on the training ground.
“It was great to see the supporters in Chicago, in Nashville and in New York – a reminder of the size and appeal of the club, for sure – and we were able to get a lot of really good work in on the training pitch,” he added.
Liverpool are now close to having their full squad available, with several players who had been involved in the World Cup returning to training.
New signing Victor Munoz has linked up with the team after being part of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad, while Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Alisson Becker have also returned to the AXA Training Centre.
Alexis Mac Allister, the final member of Liverpool’s World Cup contingent, is expected to join the squad on Monday.
With virtually the entire squad now together, Sunday’s meeting with Monaco represents an important opportunity for Iraola to further assess his players and establish his preferred approach before competitive football begins.
Liverpool will also face Como next week as their pre-season preparations enter their final stages.
