On the back of an eight-goal extravaganza with Greuther Furth, Liverpool trek to Singapore to meet Championship

side Leicester City in Sunday’s friendly at the Singapore National Stadium.

Meanwhile, the recently-relegated Foxes have already kicked off their Asian stopover in ideal fashion, overcoming Thailand

outfit Port 1-0 on Wednesday.

Match preview

 

 

 

 

 

Fresh from scoring a quartet of goals in their opening Germany friendly with Karlsruher SC, Liverpool also made the net

ripple four times during a trip to Greuther Furth, but the Reds were once again made to pay for defensive deficiencies in a 4-

4 spectacular.

Despite a Luis Diaz opener and Darwin Nunez brace, Liverpool were on the brink of a 4-3 loss before Mohamed

Salah breached the Greuther Furth backline for the final time in the 89th minute, preserving the Reds’ unbeaten pre-season

run and capping off a worthwhile training camp in Germany.

Having witnessed his players come through the clash without any fresh injuries, Klopp cut an upbeat figure after that

enthralling draw in his homeland, but the German boards the plane to Singapore without another one of his long-serving

captains.

Indeed, Jordan Henderson‘s £12m move to Steven Gerrard‘s Al Ettifaq was confirmed by the midfielder on

Wednesday, several hours before Liverpool also announced the 33-year-old’s departure, accompanied by a heartfelt tribute

from Klopp towards his Premier League and Champions League-winning skipper.

While several candidates throw their hat into the ring for the armband, Liverpool will face a blockbuster tie with Bayern

Munich during their Singapore sojourn, before Darmstadt 98 butt heads with Klopp’s crop in Preston for their final pre-

season affair.

Since kicking off their pre-season preparations with a dampening 2-1 defeat to Peterborough United behind closed doors,

Leicester have since marched to a trio of exhibition wins under Enzo Maresca, whose side came up trumps against

Northampton Town and OH Leuven before jetting off halfway around the world.

A proposed tie with Tottenham Hotspur was called off due to inclement weather conditions – much to the disappointment of

supporters who had made the journey to Bangkok – but their showdown with Port on Wednesday did go ahead, and an

early Wilfred Ndidi effort settled the contest with seven minutes gone.

Facing Liverpool in the Singapore Trophy represents the Foxes’ final friendly of the summer before their quest for an

immediate return to the Premier League commences, as Maresca gears up for his competitive debut in the hotseat against

losing playoff finalists Coventry City on August 6.

While Liverpool are mourning the exit of Henderson, Leicester are now adapting to life without Newcastle United new

boy Harvey Barnes and are yet to bolster their attacking ranks, only adding goalkeeper Mads Hermansen to their ranks

since acquiring the services of Conor Coady and Harry Winks.

Ex-Liverpool head coach Brendan Rodgers memorably led Leicester to a 1-0 win over the Reds in December 2021, but

Klopp’s side responded with three successive wins against the 2015-16 Premier League champions, most recently hitting the

Foxes for three at the King Power back in May.

As well as the Saudi Pro League-bound Henderson, Liverpool are also without fellow lynchpin Fabinho for their Singapore

tour, as Al-Ittihad aim to get a £40m deal for the Brazilian over the line in the coming weeks.

Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic have also been left at home as the pair recuperate from their season-ending

injuries, while there is no space for right-back Conor Bradley, who is apparently set to sign a new three-year deal with the

Reds but could be loaned out for the upcoming campaign.

Joe Gomez could therefore be given the nod at right-back if Trent Alexander-Arnold lines up in the engine room once

again, while Dominik Szoboszlai is good to go after missing the draw with Greuther Furth as a precaution due to an ankle

concern.

Meanwhile, Leicester defender Coady has failed to make the journey to Singapore after sustaining a foot injury in his side’s

win over Leuven, and there are concerns that the one-time Liverpool centre-back will not be ready for the start of the new

term.

Jamie Vardy is also nursing a minor concern and was absent from the recent win over Port, while Wout Faes and James

Justin sat out that encounter too, but the trio did recently take part in a commercial event with partners Chang in Bangkok.

Leicester are soon expected to conclude a deal for Montpellier HSC attacker Stephy Mavididi, but Patson

Daka and Kelechi Iheanacho will ostensibly shoulder the goalscoring burden for now.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Alexander-Arnold, Szoboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Diaz

Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Hermansen; Castagne, Souttar, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Ndidi, Soumare, Winks; Albrighton, Iheanacho, Daka