Jurgen Klopp has never been one to hide his displeasure at a hectic fixture schedule, and the Liverpool boss must prepare his team for two matches in as many days before the commencement of their new Premier League campaign.
Twenty-four hours after the FA and EFL Cup holders face off against Man City at the King Power Stadium in the annual curtain-raiser, Klopp’s side will return to their headquarters for the friendly with Strasbourg, so utilising their enviable squad depth is of paramount importance.
A far from experienced Liverpool XI took to the field against Salzburg at the end of their Austria training camp on Wednesday and went down to a winner from Benjamin Sesko, which made it two wins and two defeats from their pre-season period.
Klopp has also announced that the Reds will continue their friendly schedule even after the Premier League campaign kicks off, but one can imagine that the German coach will put out a second-string side for their imminent return to Anfield
The arrival of Julien Stephan at the Stade de la Meinau acted as the catalyst for a phenomenal period of progress for Strasbourg in Ligue 1 last term, as Les Coureurs just missed on a place in Europe, finishing sixth in the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season.
Strasbourg’s pre-season form has the recognisable look of a traffic light, as Stephan’s side posted back-to-back wins over Sion and Charleroi before a pair of consecutive draws with Brentford and Freiburg, with 10 goals scored across those two encounters
Last time out, Strasbourg returned to the Stade de la Meinau to welcome Serie A side Cagliari, who struck early doors through Jacopo Desogus and Leonardo Pavoletti, and Adrien Thomasson’s rapid response could not inspire a late comeback in a 2-1 defeat.
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A heavyweight encounter with Monaco represents Strasbourg’s first Ligue 1 game of the new term, and Les Coureurs have previous experience
when it comes to getting the better of Liverpool, as the Ligue 1 side overcame the Reds 3-2 on aggregate in the second round of the 1997-98 UEFA Cup.
Liverpool boss Klopp has already announced that Alisson Becker and Diogo Jota will not be involved in any capacity this weekend, while Kostas Tsimikas, Caoimhin Kelleher, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Calvin Ramsay have also been nursing injuries in pre-season.
