The free-spending Liverpool are back on Merseyside for the final part of their pre-season preparations, with a new-look Reds side set to defend their Premier League title in 2025–26.
Arne Slot’s squad concluded their tour of the Far East with a satisfying 3–1 victory over Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos, as Florian Wirtz scored his first goal for the club and Hugo Ekitiké made his debut.
While their work off the pitch has garnered plenty of praise, there have been on-pitch imperfections this summer, and Slot will be keen to iron those out before the new season gets underway.
Liverpool are, of course, involved in the unofficial season curtain-raiser against FA Cup winners Crystal Palace in the Community Shield, but there’s one more opportunity for Slot’s squad to get up to speed as they face La Liga outfit Athletic Club with a jumbo pre-season friendly on Monday.
Why Liverpool are Facing Athletic Club in Pre-Season Double-Header
🚨 ¡Doble amistoso ante el Liverpool en Anfield!
— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) June 10, 2025
Dos partidos consecutivos de 90 minutos ante los campeones de la @premierleague
🆚 @LFC
🗓 Lunes, 4 de agosto
⏰ 18:00 & 21:00 horas
👋 See you soon, Reds!#LFCAthletic #AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/rEaItAbwMK
Liverpool take on the Europa League semi-finalists in a double-header, with the two fixtures at Anfield kicking off at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. BST. Both matches will be played over 90 minutes.
Double-headers are usually exclusive to end-of-season grassroots action, as amateur leagues attempt to cram as many fixtures in as possible in the spring following inevitable postponements in the winter.
Thus, Liverpool’s upcoming friendlies against Athletic are rare, even in pre-season.
The nature of the fixture allows for both managers to heavily rotate, with Slot and Ernesto Valverde potentially using two different squads for the games. We saw Thomas Frank split his Tottenham Hotspur squad into two as they played two friendlies on the same day against Wycombe Wanderers and Luton Town.
While both sides have enjoyed pretty extensive summer schedules, Monday’s double-header will serve as a great chance to offer more players minutes and smartly manage the workloads of stars. Moreover, Liverpool will don their lovely new home kit for the first time.
The Reds face Palace at Wembley six days later, while Athletic Club take on Arsenal in the Emirates Cup next Saturday. Their La Liga campaign begins the following weekend at home to Sevilla, with Liverpool kicking off the new Premier League season against Bournemouth on Friday, August 15.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Liverpool Are Playing the Same Team Twice on the Same Day.
