Arne Slot will name two different lineups as Liverpool face Spanish side Athletic Club twice in the space of five hours on Monday night at Anfield.
Liverpool round off their friendly schedule with two friendlies at Anfield on Monday evening, with 5pm and 8pm kickoffs against the same opposition.
It follows a similar format to last summer when Slot’s side faced Sevilla and Las Palmas on the same day as they concluded pre-season.
This time, though, the head coach has been able to work with the majority of his squad for the entire pre-season, meaning these clashes with Athletic Club are more designed for tactical fluency and performance than catching up on fitness.
Clearly, no player will be required to play more than 90 minutes, meaning Slot will name two different XIs.
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TOKYO, JAPAN - Tuesday, July 29, 2025: Liverpool's (L-R) goalkeeper Ármin Pécsi, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Curtis Jones during an open training session at the JFA Dream Field ahead of the Meiji Yasuda J.League World Challenge 2025 match between Yokohama F. Marinos and Liverpool FC. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The full Liverpool squad for the two Athletic Club friendlies is as yet unknown, but there are a number of factors to consider:
Liverpool’s XIs vs. Athletic Club
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - Wednesday, July 30, 2025: Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike during the Meiji Yasuda J.League World Challenge 2025 match between Yokohama F. Marinos and Liverpool FC at the International Stadium Yokohama. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Given it is unclear exactly who trained and, importantly, whether Alisson has returned from Brazil and if he will be in contention, predicting Slot’s lineups is not an exact science.
However it was initially claimed that the No. 1 would be available when Liverpool’s work resumed on Merseyside and therefore he could be available vs. Athletic Club.
The likelihood is that, given these effectively conclude pre-season, Slot will name his strongest XI for one kickoff and a rotated selection for the other.
If Alisson is available, his strongest lineup could see:
Slot’s first-choice XI would therefore be:
Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Salah, Gakpo, Ekitike
There are some points of contention still, namely whether Jeremie Frimpong and Andy Robertson should be preferred as right-back and left-back respectively.
But by and large Slot should be confident that the above XI will start against Bournemouth on the opening day of the Premier League.
He still has enough options for a second XI though, including:
The rotated lineup would be:
Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Endo, Tsimikas, Robertson; Nyoni, Jones, Elliott; Doak, Ngumoha, Nunez
That leaves a question mark over who will be available as substitutes, with backup goalkeepers Freddie Woodman and Armin Pecsi, the fit-again Alexis Mac Allister and utility player Luca Stephenson the only certainties for the squad.
Danns will also make the bench if fit, as could Chiesa and McConnell.
However with U21s head coach Rob Page only using some of his players for half an hour in their 0-0 friendly draw with Hull on Saturday there will be some involved at Anfield.
From that group, the most likely contenders are centre-backs Amara Nallo and Wellity Lucky, midfielder Tommy Pilling and forwards Kaide Gordon, Kieran Morrison and Trent Kone-Doherty.
* You can follow all Liverpool’s Athletic Club double-header live with All Red Video, the new video offering from the club that replaces LFCTV. Purchase All Red Video here.