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Wirtz not in squad as Liverpool name lineup to face Preston

Florian Wirtz has not been included in the Liverpool squad as the Premier League champions begin their pre-season campaign at Preston North End today.

Wirtz joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal that could reach a British transfer record £116m earlier this summer. However, the German will play no part at Deepdale.

Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili makes his first Liverpool appearance after linking up with the club from Valencia. Fellow summer signings Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez have been named as substitutes.

The fixture is Liverpool’s first since the tragic loss of forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva in a car accident earlier this month. The Reds made the difficult decision to go ahead with their opening fixture of the summer, following the Portuguese players’ death.

Preston have created a commemorative edition of their matchday programme to pay tribute to Diogo and Andre. pic.twitter.com/ED0ttXwY74

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 13, 2025

A minute’s silence will be observed ahead of the game and both sets of players will wear black armbands. Preston have also created a commemorative edition of the matchday programme that features written tributes to Diogo and Andre.

Liverpool team to face Preston at Deepdale

Liverpool XI: Mamardashvili, Bradley, Gravenberch, Gomez, Tsimikas; Stephenson, Nyoni, Szoboszlai; Salah, Chiesa, Ngumoha.

Liverpool substitutes: Woodman, Pecsi, Endo, Nunez, Jones, Gakpo, Robertson, Doak, Kerkez, Frimpong, Nallo, Koumas, Pilling, Morrison.

Read – Diogo Jota felt like one of us

See more – Diogo Jota, 1996-2025: A life taken too soon

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