RB Leipzig vs Liverpool

Red Bull Arena is the venue as Bundesliga powerhouse RB Leipzig and Premier League stalwarts Liverpool go head-to-head in a mouth-watering pre-season friendly.

Following a respectable fourth-place Bundesliga finish and a long-awaited DFB-Pokal trophy last season, Leipzig got their pre-season off to a flying start by beating Liverpool’s fellow Premier League rivals Southampton 3-1. Back at the Red Bull Arena for the first time since a thumping 4-0 victory over Augsburg in early May, Domenico Tedesco’s side will be looking to avenge an embarrassing elimination in the 2020/21 Champions League last-16. Indeed, Leipzig lost both legs in that knock-out tie by an identical 2-0 scoreline. There’s plenty of reason for optimism, with ‘Die Roten Bullen’ picking up four triumphs from their last five home outings (L1), three of which came ‘to nil.’

On the other hand, Liverpool’s pre-season preparations suffered a false start as they fell to a humiliating 4-0 defeat to arch-rivals Manchester United in Thailand. However, last season’s Premier League runners-up bounced back in Australia, claiming a comfortable 2-0 victory over fellow domestic opposition Crystal Palace. Except for a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Real Madrid in last season’s Champions League showpiece, the ‘Reds’ have not lost any of their 17 matches outside Anfield in 2022, excluding fixtures played away from Europe (W13, D4). While waiting for marquee summer signing Darwin Nunez to come up with the goods, Jurgen Klopp will feel confident about his side’s scoring prospects here, having witnessed his men net 2+ goals on three of their last four continental travels.