Liverpool will get their pre-season underway on Wednesday night by making the short trip across the River Mersey to face Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park.
The Reds are the first of the Premier League's big hitters to begin their preparations for the new campaign with a friendly, and will play twice this week before heading out to Hong Kong.
The latest Liverpool transfer rumours
Jurgen Klopp's desire to start early may be due in part to the fact that his side faces a hectic first couple of weeks of the season between their fixtures in the English top flight and the Champions League play-off round.
| Game | Tranmere Rovers vs Liverpool |
| Date | Wednesday, July 12 |
| Time | 19:45 GMT, 14:45 ET |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
In the UK and Ireland, the match will be available to watch live on television on LFC TV and by stream via LFCTV GO.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| LFCTV | LFCTV GO |
In the US, the match will be not be broadcast on television but can be streamed via LFCTV GO.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| None | LFCTV GO |
SQUADS & TEAM NEWS
Liverpool have not revealed a list of players who will play a part in this game but they should have most of the members of the first-team squad who have not played a part in an international competition this summer at their disposal.
Jordan Henderson has recovered from the injury that ended his 2016-17 campaign, and the likes of Joel Matip, James Milner, Roberto Firmino and Daniel Sturridge should all be available having reported for pre-season on day one. New signing Dominic Solanke, who recently joined the Reds from Chelsea, is also likely to feature.
Liverpool's pre-season fixtures in full
Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho are back at Melwood but joined the squad later after featuring for England and Brazil respectively in June and are among those who may be left out, while Simon Mignolet and Dejan Lovren could also sit out the game.
Emre Can has not returned for pre-season training yet having played for Germany at the Confederations Cup, while Mohamed Salah will not be available after being told he will need to briefly leave the country and then return to finalise his immigration paperwork.
BETTING & GAME ODDS
Liverpool are 1/4 favourites to kick their pre-season off with a win, according to Oddschecker, with Tranmere priced at 9/1 and the draw available at 19/4.
GAME PREVIEW
Liverpool begin their pre-season with much work still to do, both on and off the pitch.
The Reds have added two more attacking talents to their group in Mohamed Salah and Dominic Solanke, but scoring goals and creating chances was not especially a problem for them last season, a few issues against deep defences aside.
It is their defensive record - the second-poorest in the top six - and their depth in midfield that seemed to need addressing most urgently, and Jurgen Klopp and his staff are still working behind the scenes to make that happen.
Naby Keita and Virgil van Dijk would certainly make an enormous difference but Liverpool will struggle to complete those deals without splashing out more than £100 million.
When that kind of cash is involved, the decision as to whether or not to pull the trigger becomes fundamental to the entire Klopp project and it is unsurprising, given the Reds do not traditionally spend as much money as the likes of Manchester City, that they are mulling over their options.
Fairly soon, though, they will need to make a move or two. Liverpool begin the season with two winnable matches against Watford and Crystal Palace, but coming just days after each are the two legs of a Champions League play-off tie they cannot afford to lose.