10 things to know ahead of Liverpool’s pre-season clash vs. RB Leipzig

July 20, 2022
Jack Sear

The next leg of Liverpool’s pre-season preparations will see them face RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena on Thursday.

RB Leipzig vs. Liverpool

Pre-Season Friendly (3) | Red Bull Arena
Thursday, July 21, 2022 | 6.15pm (BST)

Having completed a tour which included a number of routine commercial commitments, Jurgen Klopp will be looking forward to the next stage of Liverpool’s summer schedule, with more focus on training and tactics.

The Reds returned to England last Saturday, before a couple of training sessions at the AXA Training Centre early this week.

They are now set to fly out to Germany for a friendly against RB Leipzig, who finished fourth in the Bundesliga last season, before embarking on a training camp in Austria.

1. Team news

Alisson Becker, Caoimhin Kelleher, Calvin Ramsay, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kaide Gordon and Diogo Jota have all been in the treatment room and are unlikely to be available.

It’s likely there will be less players involved and more game time for those who are, with Klopp now keen to ensure his senior stars take a step closer to full fitness.

The starters should be in line to play 45 minutes at the very least, with a handful having already done so against Crystal Palace last Friday.

2. How could Liverpool line up?

With the tour of Asia all wrapped up, team selections for the upcoming friendlies may give us some clues about who will line-up at Craven Cottage on August 6.

That could mean, for example, Klopp wants to start using both Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah alongside Darwin Nunez in attack.

Here are two potential lineups the Reds could field in Leipzig on Thursday.

3. Austria – Klopp’s favourite camp

“My time,” is how the Liverpool boss explains his team’s trip to Austria.

That’s where the Reds will move on to after Thursday’s friendly in Leipzig, for a week-long training camp.

This is where Klopp will ramp up Liverpool’s preparations for the new season. With no commercial distractions, it will be eat, sleep, train, repeat, with some days consisting of more than one session.

There will be more of a focus on tactics and the ways Klopp wants to see his side set up this season. Hopefully that will be reflected in the two friendlies within the next week.

4. What’s happened in training this week?

There's a simple explanation! ????? https://t.co/r6vqW5y1bx

— This Is Anfield (@thisisanfield) July 19, 2022

Having only returned from Asia after a 14-hour flight late on Saturday, the squad were allowed the rest of the weekend off to adjust their body clocks.

On Monday, they were back at the AXA Training Centre, with a 15-man group taking part in a session on the pitch.

The rest, mainly consisting of senior players, including the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Thiago, were undergoing fitness work in the gym.

Those out on the pitch included Joe Gomez, who missed Friday’s victory against Palace with a knock, as well as youngsters Stefan Bajcetic, Luke Chambers and Isaac Mabaya, who could be set for more first team involvement this season.

5. What stage are RB Leipzig at in their pre-season?

???? ????: A 3-1 win over Southampton after 105 minutes, with goals from Angel, Emil and Ilaix ???

Good luck for the season, @SouthamptonFC ?

??? #WeAreLeipzig #RBLSaintsFC pic.twitter.com/oF5CsHqfgR

— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) July 16, 2022

The 2022/23 Bundesliga campaign gets underway on the same weekend as the Premier League, with Leipzig travelling to Stuttgart for their opener on Sunday, August 7.

Domenico Tedesco’s side have just returned from an Austria camp of their own, concluding it with a 3-1 friendly win against Southampton last Saturday.

Leipzig will have their eyes on a title challenge for the upcoming campaign, or will at least want to improve on their fourth-placed finish from last season.

Their preparations have been boosted by the news that star attacker Christopher Nkunku has opted to stay and sign a new contract, despite interest from a host of Europe’s top clubs.

6. Back to where it all began for Naby and Ibou

The friendly will offer Naby Keita and Ibrahima Konate the opportunity to catch up with some familiar faces, with both joining the Reds from Leipzig in years gone by.

Keita has already faced his former side once for the Reds, coming on as a substitute in the Champions League last 16 second leg clash in March 2021.

For Konate, though, this will be the first time he’ll have seen some of his former team-mates since his £36 million move to Anfield last summer.

7. Klopp “not worried at all” about Nunez

Some rival fans are, of course, desperate to see Nunez fail at Liverpool. So much so that there have been compilations highlighting some of his missed opportunities in pre-season doing the rounds on social media.

Yes, really!

Klopp, though, says he’s been happy with what he’s seen from the Uruguayan so far, and remains “completely convinced about his potential.”

Hopefully the first of many Nunez Liverpool goals goes in on Thursday!

8. Last time out against Leipzig

The Reds last faced Leipzig in the 2020/21 Champions League last 16, with two 2-0 victories seeing them progress to the quarter-finals with ease.

The matches were played in Budapest and without fans, due to the rising cases of Covid-19 at the time.

Both games, in terms of the scoreline and scorers, were practically identical, with Salah and Sadio Mane scoring a goal each in the second half of each leg.