Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip took their friendly rivalry from the pitch to the bowling alley during Liverpool's pre-season training.
The Reds are currently out in Austria undergoing preparations for the 2021/22 campaign as they look to regain their Premier League title after injuries caused their defence to crash and burn last season.
Jurgen Klopp's 34-man squad have had a jam-packed schedule at the base of the Austrian alps. They have already taken on Wacker Innsbruck, VfB Stuttgart and Mainz 05 in pre-season friendlies and face Hertha BSC on Thursday.
But it appears the trio of centre-backs are using their brief moments of downtime to contest a bit of friendly competition over a game of bowling.
The defenders went head-to-head in a game of nine-pin, or kegeln as it is locally known, in the team hotel in Salzburg.
Van Dijk emerged king of the pins, scoring the only strike of the game.
Meanwhile, Matip came last and claimed that his participation in the contest alone was his 'forfeit'.
The Cameroonian claimed Van Dijk was 'always in his head' after the Dutchman resorted to mind games by switching the lights off or making sudden noises as Matip addressed his throws.
The trio were sidelined for the majority of last season after long-term injuries ruled them out of contention.
However, all three have returned for pre-season training and Matip made his return to the side against Wacker Innsbruck.
Klopp confirmed earlier this week that Van Dijk could make his return to action in Liverpool’s friendly with Hertha BSC in Innsbruck, while Gomez is also reportedly 'close' to making a comeback.
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