Liverpool will begin next season with a clash with Man City, and the Community Shield is likely to be their final game in preparation for the 2022/23 campaign.
It is one of the most fiercely contested rivalries in English football history, and Liverpool are already guaranteed to play Man City three times next season.
Along with two meetings in the Premier League, the two clubs will also face off in the Community Shield on July 31, after the Reds clinched the FA Cup.
Traditionally, the Community Shield is contested by the winners of the Premier League and the FA Cup, but even if Liverpool also win the title, their opponents will be City as runners up.
The curtain-raiser, which is often seen as little more than a pre-season friendly, usually takes place at Wembley – but that will not be the case this year.
According to the Mail‘s Mike Keegan, the King Power Stadium in Leicester is the favourite to be chosen as the alternative venue, with Wembley hosting the European Women’s Championship final on the same day.
The Emirates, the London Stadium, Elland Road and Villa Park are also suggested, but as it stands the game is expected to be played at the King Power.
The Community Shield is scheduled earlier than usual as the Premier League campaign kicks off on August 6, rather than the following weekend, to accommodate for the winter World Cup.
Liverpool are, therefore, likely to begin their pre-season preparations as early as possible, with friendlies already confirmed against Man United (July 12) and Crystal Palace (July 15) in the Far East.
A training camp in either Austria or France is also pencilled in, with the Reds typically organising a warmup game while out there too.
There is potential for at least one domestic friendly, though redevelopment work on the Anfield Road End could rule out any games at Anfield.
Anfield will host three high-profile concerts this summer, with the Rolling Stones, Elton John and the Eagles to stop in Liverpool as part of their tours in June, which will also impact use of the stadium.
The final game of the current campaign will be the Champions League final on May 28, with a potential trophy parade then due in Liverpool the following day.
After that, the majority of Jurgen Klopp‘s squad will depart for summer internationals, with many nations playing up to four games immediately after the domestic season.
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