Who could play for Liverpool against Preston North End as pre-season begins

Who could play for Liverpool against Preston North End as pre-season begins

Liverpool return to pre-season on Sunday when they make the short trip to Deepdale to face Preston North End

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Liverpool return to the pitch on Sunday when they travel to Championship club Preston North End for the start of their pre-season fixtures. The match will take place amidst a sombre backdrop as it shall represent the Reds' first fixture since the untimely death of Diogo Jota in Spain.

Arne Slot's men enter pre-season looking to pick up where they left things in May as they secured the top flight crown for a record equalling 20th time. Following that success, Liverpool have been proactive in the transfer window and have strengthened their squad.

Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Giorgi Mamardashvili are among the players to have arrived on Merseyside this summer. With this in mind, the ECHO has taken a look at who could line-up for the Reds in Lancashire this weekend.

Goalkeeper - Giorgi Mamardashvili

Speaking of the Georgian goalkeeper, it seems likely that he will be given the nod for his debut on Sunday. The shot stopper will take over from Alisson Becker at some stage in the future and this will be Slot's first chance to see him in action.

Defenders - Conor Bradley, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Milos Kerkez

It could well be a new era at full-back this season for the Reds. Bradley has big shoes to fill and faces competition from Jeremie Frimpong for the right-back spot now Trent Alexander-Arnold has left.

Kerkez, meanwhile, is the long-term replacement for Andy Robertson and a debut for the Hungarian could be wise against an opponent that Liverpool should be excelling against.

Midfielders - Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch

This partnership proved to be highly impressive last season and Slot will undoubtedly want to see them strike up an understanding again quickly. Gravenberch was the surprise package in the Premier League in 2024/25 and he will hope to continue his good form in the upcoming campaign.

Attacking midfielders - Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo

Liverpool have an exciting attacking midfield to look forward to seeing this season. Wirtz will likely be the one to watch in the Premier League and his arrival comes with plenty of intrigue.

Salah has proven his worth and will be looking to repay Liverpool's faith this campaign. Gakpo will be hoping to build on his 18 goals last season.

Striker - Dominik Szoboszlai

Pre-season is a time for experimentation and trialling Szoboszlai as a centre-forward could be worth a shout given the arrival of Wirtz this summer. The midfielder has played there previously and Slot may try him out there should Darwin Nunez not be available to feature.

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