Liverpool hosts Monaco in pre-season friendly at Anfield

Liverpool will host Monaco in a pre-season friendly at Anfield this Sunday, the club confirmed on Thursday. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. local time, giving both sides a final tune-up before the Premier League season begins. This is Liverpool’s second home fixture of the summer following their 4-0 win over Leicester City last week, a game that gave Reds fans an early look at summer signings like Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister.

The game matters because it’s the last chance for Jürgen Klopp’s players to bed in tactics and chemistry before facing Brighton at home on August 13. Monaco, meanwhile, arrive off the back of a sixth-place finish in Ligue 1 last season and will use the trip to England to test new players such as midfielder Takumi Minamino, who joins on loan from Bayern Munich. The fixture also gives Liverpool a chance to evaluate fringe players like Calvin Ramsay and Rhys Williams, who need minutes before the league starts.

Klopp has already hinted at rotating his squad, with key stars like Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker likely to play only 45 minutes. That means youngsters such as Conor Bradley and Stefan Bajcetic could feature prominently. Monaco, coached by Adolfo Sormani, will field a strong side led by captain Wissam Ben Yedder, who has scored 25+ goals in each of his last three seasons.

Sunday’s game is part of a short pre-season run after Liverpool’s tour of Asia was cut short due to scheduling conflicts. A strong showing would boost confidence ahead of the Premier League opener, while a poor performance could raise early questions about team fitness. Either way, it’s the last glimpse fans get before competitive football returns.