Liverpool’s pre-season friendlies are about to see a late addition, with Jurgen Klopp set to organise a behind-closed-doors match.
That’s according to The Daily Star, who claim that Liverpool are ‘likely’ to face Aston Villa in a warm-up game next month.
The game will reportedly take place after Liverpool’s Premier League opener with Fulham on 6th August.
Klopp is reportedly ‘eager’ to get the match set up after this year’s shortened pre-season. No further details of the friendly are provided as of yet.
Liverpool looking for marginal gains again
It’s a slightly unusual step for Klopp to take to schedule another game once the Premier League season is already underway.
But what the boss is trying to achieve has very sound logic behind it. Liverpool are starting their campaign a week before everyone else, bar Manchester City, with the Community Shield to come tomorrow.
Whether or not you see the game as a glorified friendly is irrelevant. Any match between City and Liverpool is high stakes and intense. There’s some silverware on the line and it’ll be a proper workout for all the players involved.
The Reds then play Strasbourg at Anfield the next day in what will likely see the ‘second-string’ get a full run-out. They then travel to Fulham a week on Saturday for the earlier than usual Premier League season.
It’s only around a week ahead of schedule owing to this winter’s World Cup. But every day counts at this elite level, and it makes sense for Klopp to get more non-competitive minutes in his players legs.
After the opener at Fulham, Liverpool’s next game isn’t until Monday 15th August at home to Crystal Palace. With a decent chunk of time between games, it’s wise from Klopp to keep the momentum going.
Games will then come thick and fast as the season gets underway. There won’t be too much chance for any last minute tactical tweaks.
Excitement is building as the season draws nearer. It’s this kind of outside-the-box thinking that can give Liverpool the upper hand in the long-run.