Liverpool will hope to kick on in 2018-19 after finishing fourth in the Premier League and concluding the season as Champions League runners-up.
The bulk of the Reds’ pre-season preparations this summer will take place in the United States as they return to the International Champions Cup, having eschewed the 2017 edition, but they also have a game closer to home, in Ireland.
With the World Cup having finished mid-July it doesn’t give clubs much time – compared to last year – to get things in order ahead of their club campaigns, but there is plenty to look forward to nonetheless.
Goal brings you your complete guide to the Reds’ 2018-19 pre-season and Premier League fixtures, with dates, venues and all you need to know.
Liverpool pre-season fixtures
| Date | Match | Time (UK / US ET) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7 | Chester 0-7 Liverpool | 3pm / 10am | Deva Stadium, Chester |
| Jul 10 | Tranmere Rovers 2-3 Liverpool | 7:30pm / 2:30pm | Prenton Park, Birkenhead |
| Jul 14 | Bury 0-0 Liverpool | 3pm / 10am | Gigg Lane, Bury |
| Jul 19 | Blackburn Rovers vs Liverpool | 7:45pm / 2:45pm | Ewood Park, Blackburn |
| Jul 22 | Borussia Dortmund vs Liverpool | 9:05pm / 4:05pm | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte |
| Jul 26 | Liverpool vs Manchester City | 1:05am / 8:05pm | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford |
| Jul 28 | Liverpool vs Manchester United | 10:05pm / 5:05pm | Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor |
| Aug 4 | Liverpool vs Napoli | 6pm / 1pm | Aviva Stadium, Dublin |
| Aug 7 | Liverpool vs Torino | 7:30pm / 2:30pm | Anfield, Liverpool |
Liverpool’s pre-season schedule involves some interesting encounters, with games against Bundesliga and Serie A opposition, as well as a Premier League double header in store.
There are a number of games scheduled for July against local opposition, with Chester, Tranmere Rovers, Bury and Blackburn Rovers all hosting the Reds in games that should see those stars not at the World Cup – such as Naby Keita and Fabinho – involved.
The first International Champions Cup game sees Jurgen Klopp go head to head with his former club Borussia Dortmund at the 75,000-capacity Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 22. That game takes place at 4pm local time, which is not too late in the evening for Reds fans to follow in the UK.
However, the next game – against Premier League champions Manchester City – will have a slightly later kick-off of 8pm, which is 1am the following morning in the UK. The clash against Pep Guardiola’s City will be played out at the MetLife Stadium, which is the home of New York’s NFL teams the Jets and the Giants.
After their clash against familiar foes City, Liverpool have just two days to prepare for a derby game against Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United. They’ll travel over 600 miles west to Ann Arbor for that grudge match, which kicks off at 5pm local time (10pm in the UK).
After they wrap up their International Champions Cup commitments in the US, Liverpool return to Europe to finalise their preparations ahead of the new season with a game against Serie A outfit Napoli at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and then a final home fixture against Torino at Anfield.
Goal brings you your complete guide to the Reds’ 2018-19 pre-season and Premier League fixtures, with dates, venues and all you need to know.
Liverpool 2018-19 squad numbers
| Squad number | Position | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Loris Karius |
| 2 | DF | Nathaniel Clyne |
| 4 | DF | Virgil van Dijk |
| 5 | MF | Georginio Wijnaldum |
| 6 | DF | Dejan Lovren |
| 7 | MF | James Milner |
| 8 | MF | Naby Keita |
| 9 | FW | Roberto Firmino |
| 11 | FW | Mohamed Salah |
| 12 | DF | Joe Gomez |
| 14 | MF | Jordan Henderson |
| 15 | FW | Daniel Sturridge |
| 16 | MF | Marko Grujic |
| 17 | DF | Ragnar Klavan |
| 18 | DF | Alberto Moreno |
| 19 | FW | Sadio Mane |
| 20 | MF | Adam Lallana |
| 21 | MF | Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain |
| 22 | GK | Simon Mignolet |
| 23 | MF | Xherdan Shaqiri |
| 26 | DF | Andrew Robertson |
| 27 | FW | Divock Origi |
| 28 | FW | Danny Ings |
| 29 | FW | Dominic Solanke |
| 32 | DF | Joel Matip |
| 40 | MF | Ryan Kent |
| 50 | MF | Lazar Markovic |
| 52 | GK | Danny Ward |
| 54 | MF | Sheyi Ojo |
| 56 | DF | Connor Randall |
| 58 | FW | Ben Woodburn |
| 59 | MF | Harry Wilson |
| 66 | DF | Trent Alexander-Arnold |
| 68 | MF | Pedro Chirivella |
| ? | MF | Fabinho |
Liverpool’s 2018-19 transfer activity
Klopp has signalled his intent on pushing for silverware this upcoming season after securing a move for Leipzig superstar Naby Keita a full year in advance, as well as quick swoops for Monaco midfielder Fabinho as well as Stoke’s Xherdan Shaqiri early in the transfer window.
Emre Can moved to Juventus after rejecting talks of a contact renewal, and Jon Flanagan left the club on a free transfer to join former Reds captain Steven Gerrard’s side Rangers.
The Merseyside club are expected to still be involved in the window as it has been confirmed that they are seeking to sign a first-choice keeper. They also announced that they had agreed a new deal for star striker Mohamed Salah after a spellbinding debut season where he won the Premier League Golden Boot.
Transfer activity in
| Position | Player | Transferred from | Fee | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MF | Naby Keita | RB Leipzig | £53m | July 1 |
| MF | Fabinho | Monaco | £43m | July 1 |
| FW | Xherdan Shaqiri | Stoke City | £13m | July 13 |
Transfer activity out
| Position | Player | Transferred to | Fee | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MF | Emre Can | Juventus | Free | July 1 |
| DF | Jon Flanagan | Rangers | Free | July 1 |
| MF | Jordan Williams | Rochdale | Free | July 1 |
| MF | Ovie Ejaria | Rangers (loan) | None | July 1 |
| GK | Adam Bogdan | Hibernian (loan) | None | July 2 |
Liverpool’s 2018-19 Premier League fixtures
The Premier League has confirmed that the 2018-19 season will get under way on Saturday August 11.
Fixtures were released on June 14 and Liverpool have been handed a home game against West Ham as their curtain-raiser. The Reds travel south to face Crystal Palace in their next game before hosting Brighton, with away clashes against Leicester City and Tottenham completing their first five league fixtures.
December 1 is the date of the first Merseyside derby of the season and it will be held at Anfield, with the corresponding fixture taking place at Goodison Park on March 2, 2019.
Klopp’s side will lock horns with rivals Manchester United for the first time in the league at Anfield on December 15.
Liverpool’s full Premier League fixtures can be seen below.
| Date | Time | Match |
|---|---|---|
| 12/08/2018 | 13:30 | Liverpool v West Ham United |
| 20/08/2018 | 20:00 | Crystal Palace v Liverpool |
| 25/08/2018 | 15:30 | Liverpool v Brighton |
| 01/09/2018 | 12:30 | Leicester City v Liverpool |
| 15/09/2018 | 12:30 | Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool |
| 22/09/2018 | 15:00 | Liverpool v Southampton |
| 29/09/2018 | 17:30 | Chelsea v Liverpool |
| 06/10/2018 | 15:00 | Liverpool v Manchester City |
| 20/10/2018 | 15:00 | Huddersfield Town v Liverpool |
| 27/10/2018 | 15:00 | Liverpool v Cardiff City |
| 03/11/2018 | 15:00 | Arsenal v Liverpool |
| 10/11/2018 | 15:00 | Liverpool v Fulham |
| 24/11/2018 | 15:00 | Watford v Liverpool |
| 01/12/2018 | 15:00 | Liverpool v Everton |
| 04/12/2018 | 19:45 | Burnley v Liverpool |
| 08/12/2018 | 15:00 | A.F.C. Bournemouth v Liverpool |
| 15/12/2018 | 15:00 | Liverpool v Manchester United |
| 22/12/2018 | 15:00 | Wolverhampton v Liverpool |
| 26/12/2018 | 15:00 | Liverpool v Newcastle United |
| 29/12/2018 | 15:00 | Liverpool v Arsenal |
| 01/01/2019 | 15:00 | Manchester City v Liverpool |
| 12/01/2019 | 15:00 | Brighton v Liverpool |
| 19/01/2019 | 15:00 | Liverpool v Crystal Palace |
| 30/01/2019 | 20:00 | Liverpool v Leicester City |
| 02/02/2019 | 15:00 | West Ham United v Liverpool |
| 09/02/2019 | 15:00 | Liverpool v A.F.C. Bournemouth |
| 23/02/2019 | 15:00 | Manchester United v Liverpool |
| 27/02/2019 | 20:00 | Liverpool v Watford |
| 02/03/2019 | 15:00 | Everton v Liverpool |
| 09/03/2019 | 15:00 | Liverpool v Burnley |
| 16/03/2019 | 15:00 | Fulham v Liverpool |
| 30/03/2019 | 15:00 | Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur |
| 06/04/2019 | 15:00 | Southampton v Liverpool |
| 13/04/2019 | 15:00 | Liverpool v Chelsea |
| 20/04/2019 | 15:00 | Cardiff City v Liverpool |
| 27/04/2019 | 15:00 | Liverpool v Huddersfield Town |
| 04/05/2019 | 15:00 | Newcastle United v Liverpool |
| 12/05/2019 | 15:00 | Liverpool v Wolverhampton |
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