Overview
Liverpool started the pre-season with a 4-2 victory over Sunderland, a match that clearly reflects the high-intensity football philosophy that coach Andoni Iraola is building. However, the performance against Wrexham in New York brought a different perspective, when The Kop struggled to win 1-0.
The only goal came from a diverted finish by prodigy Rio Ngumoha, but the result did not reflect the true situation. Wrexham created up to five clear chances, while Liverpool only had one really dangerous opportunity. However, Iraola was still satisfied when the team showed more cohesion than in the match against Sunderland.
The friendly match with Leeds in Chicago will be Liverpool's final general rehearsal in the US before returning to Anfield to meet Monaco and Como in turn. This is considered an important opportunity for Iraola to continue to improve his tactical system before the Premier League starts.
On the other side, Leeds is also entering the stage of completing the squad under coach Daniel Farke. The Yorkshire team just lost to Wrexham 2-3, but quickly regained confidence with a minimal victory over Sunderland thanks to Lukas Nmecha's goal.
After the confrontation with Liverpool, Leeds will successively meet RB Leipzig, Manchester United and Augsburg before entering the new season. Although it is just a friendly match, this is still an important test for both teams.
Leeds once caused many difficulties for Liverpool last season when they drew with the opponent in both Premier League encounters. The dramatic 3-3 draw at Elland Road and the 0-0 result at Anfield showed that Daniel Farke's team always knows how to create challenges for The Kop.
Therefore, the reunion in Chicago promises to be a valuable test for Iraola to assess Liverpool's readiness before the season officially begins.
Personnel situation
In terms of force, Liverpool suffered significant losses when Joe Gomez was out for a few weeks due to a muscle injury sustained in the win against Wrexham. Conversely, Iraola confirmed that newcomer Jeremy Jacquet has fully recovered from his shoulder injury and is ready to play for the first time in his new shirt.
Besides, Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch are all expected to have their first minutes of play in the pre-season period. However, this trio is likely to only start from the bench when Iraola continues to be cautious with key players who have just returned after the World Cup.
In the opposite direction, Leeds welcomed new player Tarik Muharemovic to debut in the match against Sunderland, while Gabriel Gudmundsson also returned after the post-World Cup break.
However, Daniel Farke's team is still missing Noah Okafor and Brenden Aaronson due to not finishing their vacation, while Jakub Bijol and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are both unable to participate due to injury.
Expected lineup:
Mamardashvili, Frimpong, Jacquet, Chambers, Tsimikas, Jones, Szoboszlai, Morrison, Elliott, Ngumoha, Wright.
Leeds United: Cairns, Rodon, Muharemovic, Bornauw, Bogle, Stach, Tanaka, Gudmundsson, Wilson, Gnonto, Nmecha.
The match between Liverpool and Leeds United takes place at 3:00 AM on August 3rd (Vietnam time).
