Liverpool’s pre-season tour is set to kick off against FC Karlsruher at Wildparkstadion in Germany on Wednesday. They are scheduled to play four friendlies after the game against FC Karlsruher, as Jurgen Klopp and co. look to step up their preparations for the new season’s first Premier League fixture against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Even though the Premier League opening clash at Chelsea is less than a month away, one can be certain that several Liverpool players will be determined to hit the ground running in pre-season. Indeed, after a hugely disappointing 2022/23 season that saw the Reds miss out on Champions League qualification, several players have to plenty to prove ahead of the start of the new campaign.
So in the next few weeks of the pre-season tour, here are three Liverpool players who must prove a point.
#Conor Bradley
Conor Bradley enjoyed an impressive loan spell at Bolton Wanderers in 2022/23, contributing five goals and four assists in League One. The youngster looked every bit the attacking full-back Jurgen Klopp loves to have in the team.
With Calvin Ramsey joining Preston North End on loan earlier in the summer, there is a spot in the first team for a backup right-back who can cover and compete with Trent Alexander-Arnold as well as potentially gain valuable minutes in the Europa League group games and domestic cup competitions.
The step up from League One to the Premier League is inevitably steep, but Bradley has shown at Bolton that he has the qualities to thrive in Liverpool’s first team. The pre-season tour provides him with a great opportunity to further demonstrate why he deserves to be in Klopp’s squad for the 2023/24 season.
#Stefan Bajcetic
Stefan Bajcetic was the revelation for Liverpool in an otherwise disappointing last season. When senior pros such as Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara were struggling to exert control in midfield, Bajcetic impressed in the limited opportunities he got.
However, the teenager’s run in the first team was unfortunately cut short in March by an adductor injury. Before that, he was arguably Liverpool’s best midfielder and signed a new contract shortly after becoming the third-youngest player ever to score for the Merseyside club.
It is vital for the Spanish midfielder to quickly return to full fitness and get minutes in the Reds’ pre-season tour. With Fabinho and Jordan Henderson heading to Saudi Arabia, there is definitely going to be a spot open in the middle of the park. If Bajcetic can recover from the thigh injury and impress in the pre-season friendlies, he could save the Reds millions from spending on a potential Fabinho replacement.
#Joe Gomez
This feels like a massive summer ahead of a make-or-break campaign for Joe Gomez at Liverpool, where he has been since 2015.
Gomez, 26, was once considered the ideal centre-back partner for Virgil van Dijk, but a spate of injuries and erratic displays in the last few years has seen him slip down the pecking order. The 11-cap England international only featured once in the final 10 games of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign, and even though he has over 170 games for the Reds under his belt, he hasn’t quite developed in the way some would like.
As a result, this pre-season tour is crucial for Gomez’s future at Anfield. Particularly with Ibrahima Konate expected to partner Van Dijk at the heart of Liverpool’s defence at the start of next season, Gomez can only keep his head down, work hard and grab the opportunities that come his way in the friendlies with both hands.
This pre-season tour could be the last chance for the English defender to force his way into Klopp’s plans, or at least play himself into the shop window.
