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Liverpool to pay tribute to Dioga Jota at Preston friendly

Dioga Jota married his long-term partner 11 days before the accident.

Liverpool FC are to pay tribute to Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva during Sunday’s pre-season friendly at Preston.

The match at Deepdale will be the Reds’ first since Liverpool forward Jota and his brother were killed in a car crash in Spain in the early hours of 3 July.

There will be a rendition of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ prior to the 3pm kick-off where Preston will lay a wreath alongside the away supporters, Liverpool said.

A minute’s silence will then be observed, with digital tributes displayed on the stadium big screen and on pitchside LED boards.

Diogo Jota (right) and his brother Andre Silva (left) were killed in a car crash. Credit: FC Porto

Players from both teams will wear black armbands, Liverpool said.

The pre-match programme will also feature written tributes to Jota and Silva.

Many of Liverpool’s players attended the brothers’ funerals in Gondomar, Portugal, on 5 July.

Diogo Jota’s funeral took place in Portugal Credit: Manu Fernandez/AP

Liverpool are also scheduled to face AC Milan in Hong Kong and Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan at the end of July.

As Premier League champions, they will take on FA Cup winners Crystal Palace in the Community Shield on 10 August.

Father of three Jota, who married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso 11 days before the accident, died alongside his brother after a Lamborghini they were travelling in burst into flames following a suspected tyre blowout.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot paid tribute to Jota in an emotional message. Credit: PA Images

Reds manager Arne Slot attended the funeral, along with club captain Virgil van Dijk and team-mates including Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, Darwin Nunez and Joe Gomez.

The Liverpool footballer and father-of-three was killed after the Lamborghini they were travelling in burst into flames following a suspected tyre blowout in the early hours of Thursday 3 July, in Zamora, Spain.

Following their deaths, a spokesperson for the Guardia Civil of Zamora said that tests being carried out by its traffic division showed Jota was driving the car at the time, adding "everything also points to a possible high excess of speed".

The spokesperson said the car was thought to be travelling above the speed limit on the road, which local media report is 120kmph (74mph).

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