Liverpool and Leeds United will see their preseason tours of the United States conclude on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field in Chicago. As with any friendly, the most primary concern is avoiding any new injuries. The Reds were reminded me of this concern when they saw Joe Gomez suffer a muscular injury in the first few minutes of their preseason opener, a 4-2 win over Sunderland in Nashville. Now Gomez will miss the beginning of the season.
Both teams need to be on high alert regarding the pitch at Soldier Field too. The Chicago Park District is notorious for not doing the greatest job of keeping the field its best.
Liverpool vs Leeds United FYIs
When: Aug 2, Soldier Field, Chicago, IL, 3pm local, 9pm BST
Liverpool Preview Material: Team News First-Teamers Returning This Weekend Centerback selection crisis
Watch: ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and on Liverpool’s streaming service as well
Iraola on the importance of the Dominik Szoboszlai to the team: Read more about that here
Details on Liverpool’s Long-term Injured: Jayden Danns, Wataru Endo, Stefan Bajcetic Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni
We saw that three years ago with Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson, in a friendly against Borussia Dortmund. He suffered a knee injury on this turf, and his Chelsea tenure was basically over before it even started.
So you’ve been warned!
Andoni Iraola was asked at a press conference yesterday if it will be a few weeks until we see the team that he really wants to put on the pitch this season. He was also asked if this situation is due to the World Cup, and the transfer window remaining open until September
“Probably, but not because I am going to meet the players late, or we are going to sign the players later,” Iraola said.
“Even having my team ready for pre-season when there is a change of manager, these things take some time. I would like to say on the first day we are going to be perfect, that we’re going to be in place, but probably it’s not going to be like this.
“We will have to do the adaptation as quickly as possible.”
He then continued:
“I particularly hate this month of August because you start the competition, you still don’t know if some of the players are going to leave, who is going to come, there is a lot of uncertainty. It’s difficult to build a proper team with a lot of question marks, but it is what it is, it is the same for all the teams.
“It is the same every season and I particularly enjoy when it’s the first of September – done, this is who we are and we build from here. But we have to deal with this month of August that I think a lot of the coaches, if not all, we don’t like it.”
In terms of what the team might look like on Sunday, or at least the first team, here’s what we’re thinking.
Liverpool Predicted Starting XI vs Leeds United (Preseason Friendly)
Giorgi Mamardashvili; Jeremie Frimpong, Jeremy Jacquet, Chambers, Milos Kerkez; Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai; Harvey Elliott, Rio Ngumoha; Florian Wirtz
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.