Christian Benteke and Roberto Firmino will have to wait for their first appearance in a Liverpool shirt after being left out of the trip to Finland for Saturday’s pre-season friendly against HJK Helsinki.
Brendan Rodgers has taken a 16-man squad to the game at the Olympic Stadium but there is no place for the club’s highest-profile summer signings Benteke and Firmino, who have not featured in pre-season since their respective moves from Aston Villa and Hoffenheim.
Firmino was given extended leave having played for Brazil in the Copa América earlier this summer, thereby missing Liverpool’s tour of the far east and Australia, while Benteke did not complete his £32.5m move until that tour was nearing its end.
Both have stayed behind to work on their fitness at Melwood before the Premier League opener at Stoke City on 9 August but could make an appearance in Sunday’s final friendly of the summer at Swindon Town. Rodgers has yet to announce his plans for the Swindon game but, with Stoke only a week away, he could select a strong side at the County Ground.
Emre Can, Alberto Moreno, Lucas Leiva and Joe Allen are among the senior players who will also miss the Helsinki friendly. However, new arrivals Nathaniel Clyne, Joe Gomez, Danny Ings, James Milner and Divock Origi will all feature in Finland, with the promising 18-year-old Spanish midfielder Pedro Chirivella also on Friday’s flight.
Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini and José Enrique will take no part in either of the weekend friendlies having been excluded from Rodgers’s plans as the Liverpool manager encourages all three to find a new club this summer.
