Liverpool vs Strasbourg Football Match Score 31 July 2022
One day after doing battle with Manchester City in the Community Shield, Liverpool return to Anfield for Sunday’s pre-season friendly with Ligue 1 side Strasbourg. The Reds suffered a 1-0 defeat to Red Bull Salzburg in their most recent friendly, while Julien Stephan’s side also went down 2-1 to Cagliari. 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.
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.
Third-choice goalkeeper Adrian will likely be required for the Community Shield, so Klopp may be forced to field 20-year-old academy product Liam Hughes in between the sticks on Sunday. The likes of Curtis Jones, James Milner, Joe Gomez and Fabio Carvalho ought to be more heavily involved in Sunday’s game than Saturday’s, and there may also be a start for 19-year-old Tyler Morton. Fans may also catch a glimpse of Jay Spearing in action following his appointment to the club’s Under-23s as a player-coach.
Meanwhile, Strasbourg boss Stephan should stick with the 5-2-1-2 setup which served his side so well last term, and full-back acquisitions have been in abundance with Colin Dagba, Ronael Pierre-Gabriel and Thomas Delaine all arriving. Star striker Ludovic Ajorque – who struck 12 goals and set up eight more in Ligue 1 last term – is being linked with a move to Newcastle United, but the 6ft 5in target man should still form a partnership with either Habib Diallo or the veteran Kevin Gameiro here.
With left-back Anthony Caci joining Bundesliga side Mainz 05 on loan for the season, Delaine should occupy one of the flanks at Anfield.
Liverpool will square off against Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg in their final pre-season 2022-23 friendly at Anfield in the early hours of Monday. The match will kick off at 12:00 AM IST (Indian Standard Time). Under the tutelage of manager Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool will head into the clash brimming with confidence after claiming the FA Community Shield on Saturday for the first time since 2006. Liverpool defeated rivals Manchester City 3-1 at the King Power Stadium to clinch their 16th FA Community Shield title, equalling the record of Arsenal. Only Manchester United have won more FA Community Shield titles than Liverpool (21).
The Reds rode on goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and new summer signing Darwin Nunez to secure a morale-boosting victory ahead of the new season. Argentine forward Julian Alvarez netted the solitary goal for Manchester City. Liverpool have registered two wins and two losses in their four pre-season friendlies so far. While the Reds started their pre-season with a 0-4 defeat against arch-rivals Manchester United, they bounced back to beat Crystal Palace (2-0) and RB Leipzig (5-0). Liverpool, however, suffered a 0-1 loss against Austrian football club RB Salzburg. Hosts Liverpool are expected to rest a few of their star players, who featured in the FA Community Shield 2022 fixture.
Darwin Nunez, Ibrahima Konate, Naby Keita, Joe Gomez and Harvey Elliott could all start at Anfield. On the other hand, Strasbourg have registered two wins, one draw and one defeat in their four pre-season friendlies so far. While Julien Stéphan’s men defeated Sion (2-1) and Charleroi (2-1), they suffered defeat at the hands of Cagliari. Strasbourg were held to a 2-2 draw against Brentford.
