Preview: Liverpool vs. Leicester City
On the back of an eight-goal extravaganza with Greuther Furth, Liverpool trek to Singapore to meet Championship side Leicester City in Sunday’s friendly at the Singapore National Stadium.
Meanwhile, the recently-relegated Foxes have already kicked off their Asian stopover in ideal fashion, overcoming Thailand outfit Port 1-0 on Wednesday.
Fresh from scoring a quartet of goals in their opening Germany friendly with Karlsruher SC, Liverpool also made the net ripple four times during a trip to Greuther Furth. Still, the Reds were once again made to pay for defensive deficiencies in a 4-4 spectacular.
Despite a Luis Diaz opener and Darwin Nunez brace, Liverpool was on the brink of a 4-3 loss before Mohamed Salah breached the Greuther Furth backline for the final time in the 89th minute, preserving the Reds’ unbeaten pre-season run and capping off a worthwhile training camp in Germany.
Having witnessed his players come through the clash without any fresh injuries, Klopp cut an upbeat figure after that enthralling draw in his homeland. However, the German boards the plane to Singapore without another of his long-serving captains.
Indeed, Jordan Henderson’s £12m move to Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq was confirmed by the midfielder on Wednesday, several hours before Liverpool also announced the 33-year-old’s departure, accompanied by a heartfelt tribute from Klopp towards his Premier League and Champions League-winning skipper.
While several candidates throw their hat into the ring for the armband, Liverpool will face a blockbuster tie with Bayern Munich during their Singapore sojourn, before Darmstadt 98 butt heads with Klopp’s crop in Preston for their final pre-season affair.
Since kicking off their pre-season preparations with a dampening 2-1 defeat to Peterborough United behind closed doors, Leicester have since marched to a trio of exhibition wins under Enzo Maresca, whose side came up trumps against Northampton Town and OH Leuven before jetting off halfway around the world.
A proposed tie with Tottenham Hotspur was called off due to inclement weather conditions – much to the disappointment of supporters who had made the journey to Bangkok – but their showdown with Port on Wednesday did go ahead, and an early Wilfred Ndidi effort settled the contest with seven minutes gone.
Facing Liverpool in the Singapore Trophy represents the Foxes’ final friendly of the summer before their quest for an immediate return to the Premier League commences, as Maresca gears up for his competitive debut in the hot seat against losing playoff finalists Coventry City on August 6.
While Liverpool is mourning the exit of Henderson, Leicester are now adapting to life without Newcastle United new boy Harvey Barnes and is yet to bolster their attacking ranks, only adding goalkeeper Mads Hermansen to their ranks since acquiring the services of Conor Coady and Harry Winks.
Ex-Liverpool head coach Brendan Rodgers memorably led Leicester to a 1-0 win over the Reds in December 2021, but Klopp’s side responded with three successive wins against the 2015-16 Premier League champions, most recently hitting the Foxes for three at the King Power back in May.
Liverpool friendly form:
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Leicester City friendly form:
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We say: Liverpool 3-1 Leicester City
Keeping the back door closed has not been Liverpool’s forte in pre-season, but Klopp’s wealth of attackers are firing on all cylinders and should continue their respective hot streaks in Singapore.
Leicester may have already acclimatised to the Asian heat, but the Foxes will likely be taught another footballing lesson by their Merseyside foes.