Liverpool is set to face off with Ipswich Town in a huge Friday clash in the Premier League, with the Reds still searching for a first three points of the season.
Liverpool's Spanish head coach Andoni Iraola smiles during the pre-season friendly football match between Liverpool and Monaco
Andoni Iraola has been told which referee he will get for the Liverpool clash with Ipswich(Image: (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images))
Liverpool will be hoping that this weekend can truly kickstart the Andoni Iraola era, with an opportunity to land a first win of the season away at Ipswich Town.
The Reds travel to the newly promoted side on Friday, having picked up two draws from the opening two games, with plenty of room for improvement from the players in terms of performance levels and results.
In Ipswich, the Merseyside outfit will find a team buoyed by promotion and an opening day win over Sunderland, as well as some positives to take from a defeat to Manchester United - even if the 5-2 scoreline brought many fans crashing back down to earth with how ruthless the Premier League can be.
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There may also need to be a bit of luck at the right moments, as Man United showed in the encounter last weekend, especially with the key calls from the match officials.
Despite it appearing a favorable game on paper, the Tractor Boys can prove a threat on the counterattack with pace in the likes of Daizen Maeda and Julio Enciso, meaning the team will need to be at their best.
Referee Darren England (Image: Getty Images)
The Premier League has announced the officials who will be taking charge of each match for the third round of fixtures, and there are some familiar faces once again taking up the key roles for Liverpool's clash with Ipswich.
Darren England will be the referee in charge of the game, while he is joined by his assistants Richard West and Adrian Holmes, who will be running the line, and Lewis Smith, who will be the fourth official.
VAR will be in operation once again, and is manned by Nick Hopton, who is joined by his assistant for the evening, Gary Beswick, at Stockley Park.
Darren England has overseen 11 Liverpool matches as a referee in his career, which includes a record of four wins, four draws, and four defeats for the Reds.
One of those matches in 2025 got the referee in hot water with Iraola, who at the time was Bournemouth manager, and took charge of the side for a clash against Liverpool.
After a penalty was awarded to the Reds, Iraola appeared to storm off down the tunnel late in the game, seemingly furious with the decisions that were given against his team, before eventually taking his seat once again.
Speaking after the game, the manager was asked about his fury with the referee, and he simply said: "hen you ask me a lot about the referee, I think in this kind of level of game I think the players are the ones that receive all the comments, all the appreciation, all the value what they've done for from Liverpool, from Bournemouth and that's what I'm going to try to do.”
Iraola will be hoping for less frustration from the referee this time around, with a huge opportunity to land a first win over the season.