Jurgen Klopp is expected to field a mixed line-up when Liverpool face Tranmere Rovers in the opening game of the summer on Friday night.
Summer signings Joel Matip, Loris Karius and Sadio Mane are expected to make their debuts for the Reds, but Marko Grujic could miss the match after travelling to Serbia to obtain a work permit.
Mario Balotelli, Lazar Markovic and Luis Alberto are also in contention to make appearances having returned to training this week after loan spells away from the club.
But many international players will miss the match following participation in Copa America and the European Championships, whilst Emre Can, Danny Ward and Joe Allen are still yet to return from France.
Tranmere Rovers – who are they?
Locals will know Rovers as the lesser known club on Merseyside but international fans of a particular age may not be too familiar with the Prenton Park side.
The side managed by Gary Brabin have never played in the top flight but they reached the 2000 League Cup Final and reached the Second Division Play-Off Final on three separate occasions in the nineties.
Nowadays, they play their football in the National League – England’s fifth tier – and they narrowly missed out on the chance to return to the Football League last season after finishing sixth – one place below the play-offs.
Former Reds John Aldridge, David Fairclough and Jason McAteer have all had spells at the club, but their current squad is short of any players of note.
25-year-old James Norwood finished as the side’s leading goalscorer last season with 19 goals.
Previous meetings
The two sides have not played each other since 00/01, when Liverpool won 4-2 in an FA Cup Sixth Round tie after goals from Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Danny Murphy and Robbie Fowler.
Since then, any meetings between the two have been pre-season friendlies, with the most recent coming at the beginning of the 08/09 season, which Liverpool won 1-0 thanks to a Yossi Benayoun goal.
Tranmere did overcome a Liverpool XI during 11/12 pre-season however, claiming a 2-0 win against a young Reds side.
Squads
Tranmere (from): Davies, Sutton, Ridehalgh, S Jennings, Vaughan, Harris, Norwood, Maynard, Ihiekwe, Turner, Mekki, Kirby, McNulty, Duggan, Pilling, Gumbs, Cook, C Jennings, Omotola, Stephenson, Illesanmi, Askew
Liverpool (from): Karius, Bogdan, Lovren, Moreno, Ilori, Matip, Flanagan, Smith, Wisdom, Randall, Grujic, Lucas, Brannagan, Ibe, Stewart, Kent, Markovic, Ojo, Chirivella, Luis Alberto, Allan, Mane, Firmino, Ings, Balotelli
