Liverpool’s level of opposition will go up a notch as they face Arsenal in the Reds’ second friendly of their USA tour on Wednesday evening (Thursday morning UK).
Liverpool vs. Arsenal
Friendly (2) | Lincoln Financial Field
July 31, 2024, 7.30pm local / August 1, 12.30am (BST)
Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Real Betis allowed fans to watch Arne Slot‘s team for the first time, albeit a team that will look very different come the start of the Premier League season.
The match against Arsenal is another opportunity to trawl over every positional change and player’s touch to try and gain an insight into what Slot is planning.
The squad to play
Against Betis, Slot left many of his substitutes until the 63rd minute, when he brought on a swathe of youngsters to see out the 1-0 win.
Against Arsenal, Diogo Jota will hopefully play his first game of pre-season, having joined up with the squad on July 25.
On a more negative note, it is unlikely we will see Curtis Jones in action after he missed training this week due to an injury that forced him off against Betis.
Touring squad in the USA:
Goalkeepers: Kelleher, Jaros, Pitaluga, Davies
Defenders: Quansah, Van den Berg, Phillips, Nallo, Bradley, Tsimikas, Chambers, Beck, Konate, Robertson*
Midfielders: Szoboszlai, Endo, Elliott, Bajcetic, Morton, Stephenson, Gravenberch, Nyoni, Jones**, McConnell**
Forwards: Salah, Jota, Carvalho, Doak, Gordon, Koumas, Blair
* Injured and won’t play
** Doubt
Who will start?
Without a recognised striker, Slot had to adapt his formation in previous friendlies, playing without a proper striker.
This isn’t something that should be the case when competitive games start, so we expect Jota to come straight into the starting lineup to act as the most advanced player, whether Slot sees him as a long-term No. 9 or not.
The rest of the starting XI will probably the same, with the most likely changes being Ben Doak for Fabio Carvalho and Tyler Morton for Wataru Endo.
Trey Nyoni should also be given the chance to impress again, after his brilliant 40 minutes in Pittsburgh, but it would be a surprise to see him start.
How to watch on TV
Like with all of Liverpool’s pre-season friendlies in front of fans, the match will be broadcast on LFC TV and LFC TV GO.
This Is Anfield will be covering the game live, but if you would prefer to catch up in the morning, we will have all our usual post-match reaction and analysis to read.
TIA’s matchday live blog will be up and running from midnight (UK), with Harry McMullen tasked with keeping you entertained and up-to-date.
The Reds’ surroundings
After three days in Pittsburgh, the Reds landed in Philadelphia on Sunday where they will play Arsenal at the Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles American football team.
The ground, which holds 67,594 people, is expected to be full for Liverpool’s game, and the team have already been getting acquainted with their surroundings.
On Sunday, in sweltering heat, they trained in front of over 1,000 fans at the stadium.
While in Philadelphia, the team have also taken in some baseball, as they went to Citizens Bank Park to watch the a match between the Phillies and New York Yankees.
Straight to penalties
The two upcoming matches are part of the Rivals in Red tour, which features Liverpool, Arsenal and Man United.
Therefore, as per the competition’s rules, we will have a penalty shootout after full-time, regardless of the final score.
While it is nice for supporters to see the ball hit the net a few times, it does feel ultra-American – can’t see it catching on in the UK!
• READ HERE: Why LFC vs. Arsenal and Man United will have penalties regardless of score!
About Arsenal
While results are secondary to the performance in pre-season, Liverpool mustn’t get played off the park against an Arsenal side who are much further along in their life cycle.
The Reds will be focussing on themselves, but Slot will have one eye on the opposition as they gear up for another year competing against each other at the top end of the Premier League.
Riccardo Calafiori, who was earlier linked with Liverpool, has now signed for the Gunners and could play his first game for them, against Liverpool.
If he does play, though, it will only be for “a few minutes,” said Arteta, given the Italian “hasn’t really done anything with the team.”
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