Liverpool play their fifth pre-season match of the summer on Saturday evening, taking on Hertha Berlin at the Olympiastadion Berlin.
Hertha Berlin vs. Liverpool
Saturday, July 29, 2017—5pm (BST)
Olympiastadion Berlin
Pre-Season Friendly
Fresh off the back of their Premier League Asia Trophy final victory Leicester City, the Reds will look to keep their summer momentum going this weekend.
Saturday’s clash in the German capital is a celebration of 125 years of existence for both Liverpool and Hertha Berlin, in what should be a feel-good occasion.
With the new Premier League season just a fortnight away, though, Jurgen Klopp will be hell-bent on seeing individuals continue to improve, as his side looks to hit the ground running in 2017/18.
It has been an undefeated summer so far for Liverpool, with three victories and a draw; another positive result on Saturday would be just what the doctor ordered.
Who is Available For Liverpool?
Jurgen Klopp has named a 22-man squad for the 400-mile trip to Berlin, with four missing out due to injury and four others left behind in Rottach-Egern.
Loris Karius (hip), Danny Ward (knee), James Milner (thigh) and Nathaniel Clyne (hamstring) are all sidelined, with Clyne yet to feature since the pre-season victory at Tranmere Rovers.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Marko Grujic, Ben Woodburn and Danny Ings have all been left behind as they follow individual training programmes.
New signing Andrew Robertson is likely to be given his debut for the Reds, while Ovie Ejaria, Emre Can and Sadio Mane will all be hoping to make their first appearances of the summer.
Goalkeepers: Mignolet, Grabara
Defenders: Matip, Lovren, Klavan, Gomez, Robertson, Moreno, Flanagan
Midfielders: Henderson, Can, Wijnaldum, Lallana, Coutinho, Ejaria
Forwards: Firmino, Sturridge, Solanke, Origi, Salah, Mane, Kent
Last time vs. Hertha Berlin
The two clubs have only faced each other three times throughout the last 125 years, with the most recent meeting back in the summer of 2008.
On that occasion the Reds and the Bundesliga outfit once again met at Olympiastadion Berlin, but in truth, it wasn’t a pre-season friendly that will live long in the memory.
The eventual 0-0 draw brought little entertainment value to proceedings, with Rafa Benitez fielding a side that included the likes of Diego Cavalieri, Stephen Darby, Damien Plessis and Sebastian Leto.
In the two previous friendly contests, a Robbie Fowler hat-trick gave Liverpool a 3-0 win back in 1994, while in 1973, a Steve Heighway strike helped earn the Reds a 1-1 draw.
The Opposition
They may be not enjoy the sort of worldwide popularity of fellow Bundesliga sides Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, but Die Alte Dame are still a big club in their own right.
Pal Dardai’s side enjoyed a sixth-place finish last season, with forward Vedad Ibisevic leading the scoring charts with 14 goals.
Hertha’s squad is not one bristling with household names, although former Chelsea man Salomon Kalou is, perhaps, the most high-profile individual.
Switzerland international Valentin Stocker is also one to watch.
Is the Game on TV?
While Premier League Asia Trophy Coverage was shown exclusively on Sky Sports, the action returns to LFCTV this weekend, as was the case for the games against Tranmere Rovers and Wigan Athletic.
The match is live from 5pm, with no real pre-match build-up. Because of that, come and join us on the TIA live blog, which Henry Jackson will be in charge of from 4:15pm.
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