The new football season is nearly upon us and it’s just over a week before the Premier League returns. After a poor season last year, which saw Liverpool miss out on Champions League football this term, the Reds have been undergoing a midfield rebuild this summer.
Ageing players like Jordan Henderson and Fabinho have moved to the Saudi Pro League with manager Jurgen Klopp bringing in replacements in the forms of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister. Liverpool have done there business early in this transfer window and will hope their new signings can hit the ground running.
Szoboszlai and Mac Allister will form the basis of Liverpool’s starting XI this season and start alongside each for the first time in pre-season today. The Reds face their toughest test as they take on the Bundesliga champions and have named a strong line-up.
Follow all the action as Liverpool take on Bayern Munich in Singapore:
Liverpool vs Bayern Munich
Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai start in midfield
Liverpool name Virgil van Dijk as new captain after Jordan Henderson exit
90+1’ GOAL! – Frans Krätzig puts Bayern ahead in stoppage time (LIV 3-4 BAY)
80’ GOAL! – Josip Stanisic has a tap in to equalise for a second time (LIV 3-3 BAY)
66’ GOAL! – Luis Diaz finishes of a great move to put the Red ahead again (LIV 3-2 BAY)
42’ GOAL! – Leroy Sane nets the equaliser before half-time (LIV 2-2 BAY)
33’ GOAL! – Serge Gnabry pulls one back for Bayern (LIV 2-1 BAY)
28’ GOAL! – Virgil van Dijk powers a header into the net from a corner (LIV 2-0 BAY)
2’ GOAL! – Cody Gakpo fires Liverpool ahead instead the opening two minutes (LIV 1-0 BAY)
FT Liverpool 3-4 Bayern Munich
14:33 , Mike Jones
Liverpool supporters should feel excited about the new season. The Reds are scoring plenty of goals and should provide them with a whole heap of excitement this year.
Based on the pre-season games, Liverpool seem like the team when Jurgen Klopp first took over. They’ve got the ability to score lots of goal but are also shaky defensively and will concede plenty too.
Liverpool 3-4 Bayern Munich
14:25 , Mike Jones
Full-time!
90+4 mins: There goes the final whistle. Liverpool will be wondering how they’ve gone on to lose this match. Both sides were of similar quality with Liverpool leading throughout the game.
Right at the end though, a youngster came off the bench for Bayern and blasted them to victory.
Liverpool’s Singapore tour comes to an end. Some questions have been answered, others have cropped up. Liverpool get their Premier League campaign started against Chelsea.
Will Jurgen Klopp’s men be ready in time for that one?
GOAL! Liverpool 3-4 Bayern Munich (Krätzig, 90+1)⚽️
14:23 , Mike Jones
90+1 mins: That’s surely the winning goal!
20-year-old substitute, Frans Krätzig, gets up the pitch and brings down a forward pass. He seems offside but the officials have been letting most things go.
Krätzig takes the ball into the box then shoots early and smashes his effort past Alisson to put Bayern in front.
Liverpool 3-3 Bayern Munich
14:21 , Mike Jones
90 mins: Liverpool burst forward on the counter attack with Luis Diaz find Ben Doak on the right side. Doak gets past the last defender, gets into the box and chips a heavy pass to Darwin Nunez who can’t control the ball.
Four added minutes to play.
Liverpool 3-3 Bayern Munich
14:18 , Mike Jones
86 mins: Harvey Elliott pings the ball up the pitch and finds Joe Gomez. He pulls the ball back into the middle but can’t find Darwin Nunez meaning the ball gets cleared.
Liverpool 3-3 Bayern Munich
14:14 , Mike Jones
83 mins: Close! Liverpool should take the lead again. Luis Diaz weaves into the box from the left and pokes it across to Darwin Nunez.
He gets the ball stuck under his own feet and can only prod it straight at the goalkeeper. A few inches either side and that was a goal.
GOAL! Liverpool 3-3 Bayern Munich (Stanisic, 80’)⚽️
14:11 , Mike Jones
80 mins: Bayern are level again!
They win a free kick just outside the penalty area and whip the ball into the middle. It comes to Matthijs de Ligt who heads the ball at goal.
Alisson palms it away but the ball comes to Josip Stanisic who side foots it home.
Liverpool 3-2 Bayern Munich
14:09 , Mike Jones
78 mins: Close! Ben Doak evades a tackle in the middle of the pitch before storming down the right side. He gets to the edge of the box and cuts a pass across to Bobby Clark who shoots and forces a nice save out of Sven Ulreich.
Liverpool 3-2 Bayern Munich
14:06 , Mike Jones
75 mins: Virgil van Dijk, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mo Salah all go off with 15 minutes left in the game as Jurgen Klopp brings on the younger members of his squad including Ben Doak and Bobby Clark.
Liverpool 3-2 Bayern Munich
14:01 , Mike Jones
70 mins: 20 minutes to play in Singapore. Liverpool have the lead and look comfortable in the game. Can they go on to beat Bayern here?
Jurgen Klopp spoke before the match about Liverpool’s strengths in attack. They’ve shown those with the three goals but questions remain about the weaknesses in defence.
GOAL! Liverpool 3-2 Bayern Munich (Diaz, 66’)⚽️
13:58 , Mike Jones
66 mins: Liverpool are back in front!
Luis Diaz starts the move with a lovely diagonal pass out to Mo Salah on the right wing before continuing his run into the box. Salah comes inside and threads the ball to him.
Diaz takes a touch to move to the ball to his right then belts it past Sven Ulreich for Liverpool’s third.
Liverpool 2-2 Bayern Munich
13:54 , Mike Jones
64 mins: Close! Mo Salah brings the ball forward on the inside right before cutting onto his left foot. He slips the ball into the box and finds a good run from Darwin Nunez.
Nunez takes it on his right foot and tries to chip the goalkeeper but the angle is tight and he finds the side netting instead.
Liverpool 2-2 Bayern Munich
13:53 , Mike Jones
61 mins: Liverpool make some more changes, Cody Gakpo and Trent Alexander-Arnold are off with Harvey Elliott and Joe Gomez brought on.
The Reds defend the corner before Bayern are penalised for a offside when they recycle the ball in the Liverpool box.
Liverpool 2-2 Bayern Munich
13:50 , Mike Jones
58 mins: Trent Alexander-Arnold plays a pass short to Virgil van Dijk and leaves the Liverpool captain with work to do to clear the ball.
He knocks it out for a corner under pressure and Bayern will have the chance to add to their goal tally.
Liverpool 2-2 Bayern Munich
13:43 , Mike Jones
53 mins: Save! Kingsley Coman has been on fire since his introduction. He comes over to the left side this time and drifts in behind the Liverpool defence.
A forward ball drops for him and he brings it down wonderfully before blazing a shot at goal.
Alisson closes him down and makes a great save to keep Liverpool on level terms.
Liverpool 2-2 Bayern Munich
13:41 , Mike Jones
51 mins: Kingsley Coman finds some space on the right side for Bayern and is given the ball. He weaves into the box and looks to drill a low pass across the six-yard box only for Dominik Szoboszlai to intercept and clear the ball.
Liverpool 2-2 Bayern Munich
13:39 , Mike Jones
48 mins: Kingsley Coman has also been brought on at half-time. He wins Bayern Munich a couple of early corners in this half but Liverpool manage to defend both easily enough.
Matthijs de Ligt and Sven Ulreich are also on the pitch now with Yann Sommer, Kim Ming-jae and Leroy Sane taken off.
Liverpool 2-2 Bayern Munich
13:36 , Mike Jones
Second half!
Jurgen Klopp makes a few changes at the break for Liverpool. Darwin Nunez, Ibrahima Konata and Luis Diaz are brought on to replace Joel Matip, Alexis Mac Allister and Diogo Jota.
Liverpool 2-2 Bayern Munich
13:30 , Mike Jones
Here’s Liverpool’s new captain, Virgil van Dijk, scoring Liverpool’s second goal.
Liverpool 2-2 Bayern Munich
13:25 , Mike Jones
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Liverpool 2-2 Bayern Munich
13:18 , Mike Jones
Half-time!
45+2 mins: Both teams have been decent in attack and both teams have looked shaky in defence. It’s a typical pre-season performance but that doesn’t mean that game hasn’t been interesting.
There are questions that Jurgen Klopp will want answering before the season starts. Alexis Mac Allister takes a knock on the jnee as the first half comes to a close.
Liverpool 2-2 Bayern Munich
13:15 , Mike Jones
44 mins: Liverpool lost their shape completely in that counter from Bayern. It was way too easy for Gnabry to carry the ball into the box and there was no urgency to get back and defend.
GOAL! Liverpool 2-2 Bayern Munich (Sane. 42’)⚽️
13:13 , Mike Jones
42 mins: Serge Gnabry is played into space on the left wing. He carries the ball into the box and slots a lovely pass over to Leroy Sane who turns it wonderfully into the back of the net.
Bayern are level.
13:12 , Mike Jones
39 mins: Joshua Kimmich floats another pass over the top and find Serge Gnabry who seems offside again. Liverpool get back quicker this time though and allow him to get into the box.
Joel Matip closes Gnabry down and knocks the ball out of play – off the attacker – to win Liverpool a goal kick.
Liverpool 2-1 Bayern Munich
13:08 , Mike Jones
36 mins: Cody Gakpo is knocked off the ball by Dayot Upamecano and Liverpool win a free kick inside Bayern’s final third. It’s a long way out for Trent Alexander-Arnold to think about shooting.
Instead he flicks the ball into the box for Gakpo but Upamecano nods it away and Bayern clear their lines.
GOAL! Liverpool 2-1 Bayern Munich (Gnabry, 33’)⚽️
13:05 , Mike Jones
33 mins: Liverpool concede!
A simple forward ball from Kim Ming-jae sees the defender knock it up to Serge Gnabry who’s drifting in from the left. He looks offside as the ball drops to him but the flag stays down.
Gnabry dips into the box, cuts inside of Joel Matip then slots it past Alisson to bring Bayern back into this game.
Liverpool 2-0 Bayern Munich
13:01 , Mike Jones
31 mins: Liverpool have a comfortable lead now. Bayern had just started to impsose themselves on the Reds but that goal will give Jurgen Klopp’s men some confidence.
It wasn’t the best defending from Bayern but as it’s pre-season they may not want to put their bodies on the line against a fully flying Virgil van Dijk.
GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Bayern Munich (Van Dijk, 28’)
12:59 , Mike Jones
28 mins: Liverpool score again!
They win themselves a corner that Andy Robertson comes across to take. He curls the ball into the middle of the box where Virgil van Dijk sprints onto the ball and powers a header into the box of the net.
Yann Sommer didn’t even move to stop that one.
Liverpool 1-0 Bayern Munich
12:58 , Mike Jones
27 mins: The corner ball is whipped into the middle of the box and gets cleared out by the Liverpool defenders. The ball comes out to Diogo Jota who storms across the halfway line.
He slides the ball up to Mo Salah who needs to sprint across the pitch to recover it. Alphonso Davies puts his head down and takes on Salah in a race with the Bayern defender pipping the Egyptian to the ball.
Liverpool 1-0 Bayern Munich
12:55 , Mike Jones
24 mins: Jamal Musiala darts past Trent Alexander-Arnold on the left wing but he runs the ball out of play. Bayern recover it quickly and slip Serge Gnabry into the left side of the box.
He lifts a cross into the middle and wins a corner.
Liverpool 1-0 Bayern Munich
12:53 , Mike Jones
21 mins: There’s a water break happening now as it’s very warm in Singapore. The big screen is showing a replay of Cody Gakpo’s goal which is a cracker.
He had the option of passing to Mo Salah but went for goal himself and finished it off beautifully.
Liverpool 1-0 Bayern Munich
12:50 , Mike Jones
18 mins: Trent Alexander-Arnold flings a throw in into the box where it bounces to Mo Salah. Salah tries to find Dominik Szoboszlai but he’s crowded out and Bayern come away with the ball.
Szoboszlai looks to recover the ball immediately but he gives away a free kick with a simple foul.
Liverpool 1-0 Bayern Munich
12:49 , Mike Jones
15 mins: Bayern Munich have responded well since the opening goal. Leroy Sane brings the ball across the face of the box before sending it out wide.
Serge Gnabry threads the ball in behind for Jamal Musiala but he’s beaten to the byline by Virgil van Dijk who pokes it behind for a corner.
Liverpool 1-0 Bayern Munich
12:43 , Mike Jones
12 mins: Close! Bayern Munich swing the ball deep into the box. Diogo Jota is beaten to the ball over near the far post and the initial header is nodded across the six-yard area.
Benjamin Pavard is free and meets the ball. He nods it onto the left-hand post, gets to the rebound and head a second effort over the crossbar!
Liverpool survive but they’re were torn apart from that set piece.
Liverpool 1-0 Bayern Munich
12:41 , Mike Jones
11 mins: Jamal Musiala and Serge Gnabry bring the ball through the middle of the pitch and sweep past Curtis Jones in his new holding midfield role.
Bayern slip the ball into the box hoping to find Mathys Tel but Virgil van Dijk boots it out for a corner.
Liverpool 1-0 Bayern Munich
12:39 , Mike Jones
8 mins: Alphonso Davies bombs forward on the left wing and brings the ball to the edge of Liverpool’s penalty area. There’s not many options on for the left-back so he tries to send the ball inside.
Liverpool intercept the pass, take over possession and win a throw in over on the right wing.
Liverpool 1-0 Bayern Munich
12:36 , Mike Jones
5 mins: Close! Bayern Munich are playing with a high line meaning Liverpool are able to get in behind easily enough. This time it’s Mo Salah who receives the ball on the right side.
He cuts into the box and shoots but Kim Min-jae is there to get the block in.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Bayern Munich (Gakpo, 2’)⚽️
12:34 , Mike Jones
2 mins: What a start!
A throw in comes to Cody Gakpo in the middle of the pitch. He turns off the nearest defender then storms down the left channel. Diogo Jota drifts out wide and is given the ball before slotting it back to Gakpo to get him in behind.
Gakpo carries the ball into the box then belts it past Yann Sommer to opening the scoring!
Liverpool 0-0 Bayern Munich
12:32 , Mike Jones
Kick off!
The game gets underway and the ball is booted long up the pitch. It’s skip into Bayern Munich’s box and comes through to Yann Sommer who scoops it up.
Bayern take possession early on and look to attack down the right side but run the ball out for a throw in.
Liverpool vs Bayern Munich
12:28 , Mike Jones
Here come the players. Virgil van Dijk leads out the Reds as they make their way out onto the pitch at the National Stadium in Singapore.
It’s a packed house for this one.
Liverpool make second Romeo Lavia bid as Southampton set transfer price
12:24 , Mike Jones
Liverpool have made two bids for Romeo Lavia but are considering other options if Southampton do not drop their asking price.
The relegated club are thought to want £50m for the Belgium international while Liverpool have a valuation of the 19-year-old based on his age and experience.
Lavia has played 29 Premier League games for Saints while Liverpool bought the 24-year-old World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton for £35m and the Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai for £60m this summer.
Liverpool make second Romeo Lavia bid as Southampton set transfer price
Jurgen Klopp responds after Kylian Mbappe to Liverpool rumours
12:20 , Mike Jones
Jurgen Klopp has laughed off the idea Liverpool will sign Kylian Mbappe this summer.
The France captain has been the subject of a world-record £259 million bid from Al-Hilal, which Paris Saint-Germain accepted as they risk losing the forward on a free transfer this summer.
Liverpool could not make a similar offer but had been touted as a possible destination for Mbappe on a season-long loan but Klopp was quick to rule them out of the reckoning.
Jurgen Klopp responds after Kylian Mbappe to Liverpool rumours
Fans arrive in Singapore
12:16 , Mike Jones
One of the best things about pre-season is that fans from other parts of the world get to see their team play in person. There’ll be a lot of happy people arriving at the National Stadium in Singapore today.
Alexander-Arnold on being named Liverpool vice-captain
12:12 , Mike Jones
Trent Alexander-Arnold says he is ready for the responsibility of being named Liverpool’s vice-captain.
“Yeah, of course I feel ready, I feel like without being put in this position, I felt like I’ve been a leader and I lead by example with the things I do on a daily basis in training and in and around the lads,” he said ahead of today’s clash with Bayern Munich.
“I think the lads see me as someone in a leadership role, and I’m happy the manager and staff see that too. That’s my mentality: I want to lead by example, I want to make sure that I take responsibility for what I do and how the team performs as well.
“It’s an amazing position to be in but there’s more responsibility on me to make sure that we succeed and we achieve the things we want to this season.”
Jurgen Klopp wanted a midfield change at Liverpool – instead he got a revolution
12:08 , Mike Jones
It transpires there are different kinds of problems involving the Liverpool midfield. Last season was a tale of the aged, the injured, the inconsistent and the incoherent, the malfunctioning midfield that meant a champion team suddenly looked disjointed and disappointing.
If it was an exaggeration to say Liverpool didn’t have a midfield last season, in a sense they don’t have one now. Or not their old midfield, anyway. An exodus was partly planned, partly thrust upon Jurgen Klopp by Saudi Arabia’s injection of money and unexpected wish to acquire defensive midfielders.
Perhaps Jordan Henderson and Fabinho will not be able to gegenpress in 45-degree heat, but it is not Klopp’s immediate concern; if the plan was for two new faces to feature in his first-choice midfield, a complete overhaul has become necessary. He wanted change and got a revolution instead.
Jurgen Klopp wanted a midfield change – instead he got a revolution
Bayern Munich line-up
12:03 , Mike Jones
Here’s how Bayern Munich line up for this match. Thomas Tuchel has named a strong team too so this one should be a belter – as far as pre-season friendlies are concerned anyway.
Bayern XI: Sommer; Upamecano, Pavard, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Laimer; Sane, Gnabry, Musiala; Tel
Szoboszlai on moving to Liverpool
11:58 , Mike Jones
Dominik Szoboszlai was eager to find out if his move to Liverpool was going to get over the line and followed all the online rumours while waiting to hear from his agent.
Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com he spoke about how his transfer to Anfield came about.
“We have my agent, my father and me – I never decide alone or my agent never decides alone or my dad never decides alone, it doesn’t matter what’s going on. We always decide as three,” Szoboszlai said.
“My agent wrote in our WhatsApp group [about Liverpool’s interest]; I was on holiday, my father was doing something else and my agent was also somewhere else. We had a group call.
“My agent doesn’t want to say before anything is fixed, so he doesn’t come to me and say, ‘It may be possible.’ He only comes to me when he says it’s close and he needs me now to decide. So then we had a call and everything.
“But of course I saw the rumours and I wrote to him every day… ‘Anything happening? Anything happening?’ I wanted to know. He said, ‘Just don’t worry, wait.’”
Curtis Jones speaking about Liverpool’s new signings and playing deeper in midfield
11:54 , Mike Jones
Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has played a couple of pre-season matches in a deeper midfield role usually taken up by the now departed Fabinho.
Jones was asked about how he’s adapting to the new role and what he thinks of Liverpool’s summer signings.
“Yeah of course I do [enjoy it]. I’m just a kid that wants to go and play,” he said, “I’m playing in a deeper role but it’s kind of the same, I try and get on the ball but with a different pace on the pitch.
“What players [Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister are]. They’re unbelievable, they’ve come in, adapted well and are a big part of the team.
“You’ve got Dom their whose enjoy is mad, he’ll go and press, get on the ball, he’s calm. Macca we’ve seen a lot of in the Prem, he’s good on the ball, he’s always on the half-turn and trying to make a pass.”
Moment Trent Alexander-Arnold told he will be Liverpool’s vice-captain
11:50 , Mike Jones
Liverpool have shared footage of the moment Trent Alexander-Arnold found out he was going to be the club’s new vice-captain.
The defender was pulled aside by manager Jurgen Klopp during an open training session in Singapore, and the pair shared a few words before shaking hands.
Liverpool name Virgil van Dijk as new captain after Jordan Henderson exit
11:46 , Mike Jones
Virgil van Dijk has been appointed Liverpool’s club captain, with Trent Alexander-Arnold named the new vice-captain.
Jurgen Klopp opted for the Netherlands skipper after the departures of first vice-captain James Milner and then captain Jordan Henderson.
Van Dijk, who had led the team in games when neither Henderson nor Milner started in recent seasons, becomes just Liverpool’s third club captain in 20 years, after Steven Gerrard spent 12 years with the armband and then Henderson eight.
But the choice of Alexander-Arnold, who at 24 is eight years Van Dijk’s junior, puts the Merseysider in line to be his long-term successor.
Liverpool reveal new captain and vice-captain after Jordan Henderson exit
Liverpool team changes
11:42 , Mike Jones
Jurgen Klopp has named a strong line-up to take on Bayern Munich this afternoon. There are four changes to the team that defeated Leicester City in the previous pre-season game.
Alisson Becker replaces Caoimhin Kelleher in goal with Joel Matip slotting into central defence alongside Virgil van Dijk. Bobby Clark drops out of midfield to accommodate Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo starts in the forward line ahead of Darwin Nunez.
Liverpool starting line-up
11:39 , Mike Jones
Here’s the Liverpool team that will take on Bayern Munich today.
Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Jones, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Jota, Gakpo
Liverpool vs Bayern Munich
11:35 , Mike Jones
Pre-season is heading to its conclusion as the start of the new season is swiftly approaching. Premier League football will be back as soon as next week but until then clubs are preparing new tactics and forming relationships ahead of the new campaign.
Liverpool, with their new midfield signings, have had a decent pre-season and are building up their fitness levels in preparation for a tricky opening match against Chelsea.
The Reds take on the Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munich, in Singapore this afternoon with kick off at 12.30pm. Although most club friendlies can’t be assessed too deeply, Liverpool will still want to win this game and set a marker for how they should fare in this campaign.
