Liverpool’s pre-season campaign begins when they travel to Preston North End on Sunday(3pm kick-off).
In truth, matters on the pitch will be at the bottom of the list of priorities. Commemorating Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva is the main focus. The Reds forward and Silva tragically died in a car accident last week. Not just Liverpool but the entire footballing world has been in mourning since.
Jota was adored by Kopites and scored 65 goals in 182 appearances after joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020. He won four major trophies at Anfield, including the Premier League last season.
There will be a number of tributes to Jota and Silva at Preston’s Deepdale stadium, including a rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone, black armbands to be worn by both teams and Lilywhites captain Ben Whiteman will lay a wreath in front of the away fans. There will also be a minute’s silence and Preston have created a commemorative edition of the matchday programme. There’s no doubt that Jota’s song will be chanted throughout the day, too.
It will be a moving day for all involved – especially for Jota’s Liverpool team-mates and colleagues, who travelled to his funeral in Portugal last week. The squad also paid respects to the brothers along with their family outside Anfield on Friday, with the club confirming Jota’s No.20 shirt will be retired across all levels.
Head coach Arne Slot and his players will know the best way to remember Jota will be to carry on the success on the pitch and dedicate any further silverware to him.
Liverpool are the Premier League champions and want to defend their crown in the 2025-26 campaign. The Reds have spent circa £200 million in transfers during the summer window, recruiting Florian Wirtz for a club-record £100 million, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Slot will see the Preston game as no more than a training exercise and a chance for his players – who only returned to training at the start of the week – to brush the cobwebs out. It remains to be seen who will be involved against North End but we’ve decided to try to predict what the starting line-up could look like.
Liverpool predicted line-up vs Preston
GK – Alisson Becker
Although Mamardashvili has been signed for up to £29 million, Alisson is expected to keep his place as No.1
RB – Jeremie Frimpong
The £29.5 million signing from Bayer Leverkusen could be handed a first chance in a red shirt. He will be hopeful of showing what he can do. In addition, Conor Bradley had a hamstring injury at the end of last season so still may be carefully managed.
CB – Joe Gomez
Liverpool’s longest-serving player endured a frustrating second half of the 2024-25 season because of a recurring hamstring problem that required surgery. Gomez did make a recovery in the final game and will want to build some momentum in pre-season.
CB – Virgil van Dijk
Slot may want his captain to lead out the players on what is going to be an emotional afternoon at Deepdale. There is no-one better.
LB – Kostas Tsimikas
The Liverpool boss may not want both new full-backs to start in the game so Milos Kerkez may appear from the bench. In addition, the lack of centre-backs could see Andy Robertson feature centrally later in the game so Tsimikas might play from the first whistle.
CM – Wataru Endo
The Japan international has insisted he will not be leaving Liverpool this summer despite knowing he’s likely to be a bit-part player. His attitude is why he’s adored by supporters.
CM – Alexis Mac Allister
Can be under-rated by many but not his manager, team-mates or the opposition. Mac Allister has been nominated for PFA Player of the Year, which highlights his quality.
RW – Ben Doak
The Scot could be at somewhat of a crossroads this summer. He was enjoying a fine loan spell at Middlesbrough last season before suffering an injury in January that meant he did not play again. Doak has been linked with an exit this summer and Slot could want to get a good look before making his decision on the teenager’s future. Much will depend on how he’s recovered from his setback, though.
AM – Florian Wirtz
Kopites will be looking forward to seeing the club’s record signing. He is regarded as a generational talent, with Liverpool beating Bayern Munich and Manchester City to secure Wirtz’s signature.
LW – Cody Gakpo
Given the speculation around Luis Diaz’ future, it may be Gakpo who features from the outset on the flank. The pair shared the role through the title triumph, with Gakpo scoring 18 goals in all competitions.
ST – Federico Chiesa
With Darwin Nunez’s future uncertain, Slot may not want to play the Uruguay striker for much of the game, if at all. Chiesa could operate as a makeshift striker, or there’s a chance of Jayden Danns leading the line if he has recovered from the back injury that meant he did not make a single appearance after joining Sunderland on loan in January.