Liverpool’s mid-season fitness drive ramps up with Sunday’s Dubai Super Cup clash with Lyon.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are preparing to return to Premier League action on Boxing Day, with a six-week hiatus because of the World Cup nearing a conclusion.
“It’s great for us to get the chance to get some minutes out here,” Joe Gomez told Liverpool’s official website ahead of the game. “The warm weather obviously adds to the fitness and great opposition [Lyon and AC Milan] as well. I think it’ll stand us in good stead and hopefully everyone comes through it OK, and we can use that momentum.
“Obviously just getting the training under our legs and the tactical stuff we’re doing; it’s a real chance to get the fundamentals back in place and use it as a stepping stone to carry on for the rest of the season.”
The Reds are sixth in the Premier League table after a slow start to the season, and trail surprise leaders Arsenal by a whopping 15 points.
But they have a chance to get the competitive juices flowing once more against former Ligue 1 winners Lyon – here’s what you need to know about the game.
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Liverpool have a number of players still away on World Cup duty so Jurgen Klopp will not have a full strength side out.
Luis Diaz is also set for an extended spell on the sidelines after aggravating his injury.
Starting XI: (4-2-3-1) Kelleher; Ramsay, Matip, Gomez, Robertson; Elliott, Thiago, Milner; Salah, Firmino, Carvalho
Liverpool’s Dubai Super Cup clash with Lyon gets underway at 2pm (GMT. The pair have only ever met twice before in competitive matches – during the 2009/10 Champions League – but last locked horns in a friendly in 2019.
Jurgen Klopp’s side won 3-1 thanks to Roberto Firmino, an own goal and Harry Wilson. Memphis Depay, formerly of Manchester United and now at Barcelona, was on target for the Ligue 1 giants.
Liverpool’s Dubai Super Cup clash with Lyon, and subsquent meeting with AC Milan, can be watched on LFCTV in the UK and Ireland.
Both games are also available on the paid subscription service LFCTV Go, with full details of how to sign up available on the club’s official website.
The Dubai Super Cup is a four-team competition being played between December 8 and December 16. Four matches are being played, with each team playing twice, and all of the games will be staged at at Al Nasr’s Al Maktoum Stadium.
The format is a little bit complicated as each match will be concluded with a penalty shootout, regardless of the result. Additional points are on offer if your team wins.