Liverpool will be set to hand out quite a few debuts on the opening day of the new season.
The Reds may be in the midst of one of their busiest-ever transfer windows, but attentions are starting to turn to the new season already.
Arne Slot, however, will be focusing on pre-season first, hoping that his squad will be in the best possible condition to implement his tactics and experiment before the first game of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Florian Wirtz is one signing that he will likely be able to do this with as he is set to become a Liverpool player on Friday, with the German costing the club £100m plus a potential £16m in further add-ons.
There will certainly be a lot of pressure and, arguably, this might be increased after he sees who the Reds have on the opening day, although it could also be seen as the perfect introduction.
Florian Wirtz celebrates with a knee slide after scoring for Germany against Portugal in the UEFA Nations League semi-final.
Photo by Marcel Engelbrecht – firo sportphoto/Getty Images
Florian Wirtz could make his Premier League debut against Bournemouth
Fixture announcement day is an exciting one no matter who you support, with fans hoping for a decent match-up to help ease them into the new campaign.
Kicking off the whole Premier League season will be Liverpool, with the Reds hosting Bournemouth on Friday 15th August, with this an 8pm kick-off.
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This is where Wirtz, if all things go well, should make his debut, with this coming in the perfect circumstances.
Under the lights, albeit while still being rather light in the peak of summer, at Anfield, in front of his own supporters, it does not get much better than this.
This could be seen in one of two ways. The pressure on Wirtz might be slightly reduced as he has the backing of the majority of the crowd, but he also has every rival fan’s eyes on him as he helps get the new season underway.
However, based on the type of player he is, the 22-year-old will likely see this as a challenge to relish and will enjoy the idea of producing a statement of intent from the very first day, suggesting the Premier League has done him and Liverpool a huge favour.
Florian Wirtz could thrive against Bournemouth
If one thing is for sure next season, Liverpool’s attacking threat will be on another level and they really will strike fear into the eyes of opposing defenders.
Against Bournemouth, Wirtz could thrive and really show the rest of the league what he is about, especially as every touch will be roared on by the home support.
As many opening games show, defences can be leaky as players try to get back into the swing of things and get up to speed quickly.
This is something Wirtz could punish as his quick feet and trickery could cause the Cherries a real problem, and it would be no surprise to see him register an assist or even get on the scoresheet.
Pre-season will be a crucial period but after seeing this announcement, Wirtz will be raring to go and doing everything in his power to get fit as soon as possible.