Liverpool face Real Betis in the first match of their USA pre-season tour and we’re live to bring you the latest.

Kickoff at the Acrisure Stadium is 12.30am (UK).

Tonight’s blog is run by Harry McMullen, get involved by Tweeting @thisisanfield, @mcmulhar & in the comments below.

Starting team

Liverpool: Kelleher; Bradley, Van den Berg, Quansah, Tsimikas; Jones, Endo, Szoboszlai; Salah, Carvalho, Elliott

Subs: Jaros, Phillips, Nallo, Bradley, Chambers, Beck, Bajcetic, Morton, Stephenson, Nyoni, Doak, Gordon, Koumas, Blair

Our coverage updates automatically below:

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Liverpool’s starting lineup against Real Betis has been confirmed, with Mo Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai both starting.

The Reds have already played a behind-closed-doors game against Preston, but this is the first match of pre-season proper, as Liverpool take on Betis in Pittsburgh, USA.

Arne Slot is without several key players who are still on holiday, but this match should at least give us a chance to see if there will be any significant alterations to how Liverpool play.

As with most of Liverpool’s pre-season games, we expect there two different sides to play in either half, to ensure everyone is getting minutes into their legs.

To start with, Slot has gone for Caoimhin Kelleher in goal, behind a back four of Conor Bradley, Sepp van den Berg, Jarell Quansah and Kostas Tsimikas.

In midfield, Curtis Jones, Wataru Endo and Szoboszlai all start, while Harvey Elliott, Fabio Carvalho and Salah will likely form the attacking trio.

Liverpool: Kelleher; Bradley, Van den Berg, Quansah, Tsimikas; Jones, Endo, Szoboszlai; Salah, Carvalho, Elliott

Substitutes: Jaros, Phillips, Nallo, Bradley, Chambers, Beck, Bajcetic, Morton, Stephenson, Nyoni, Doak, Gordon, Koumas, Blair

We expect to watch the Reds in a 4-3-3 formation but there is a chance they line up in more of a 4-2-3-1 for this fixture, given the personnel available.

We will also likely see the central midfielders taking on more responsibility. Jones explained: “The centre-mids were always lads who were runners and more disciplined.

“The principles are the same, but I feel that now the centre-mids are going to be more the heart of the team.

“Mo is still going to get his goals, but in terms of our build-up, it’s how comfortable and calm we have to be and play more as a team.

“We’re not in a rush to attack, we want to have the ball and break teams down and that gives us a chance, if we give the ball away, we can go and press.”

The key news from a Real Betis perspective is that Adrian starts after leaving Liverpool earlier this summer, as does Nabil Fekir who nearly signed for the Reds in 2018.

You can follow all the action today and throughout pre-season with us by downloading the This is Anfield app for iPhone and Android for free.

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It is time for Liverpool’s first of four pre-season friendlies, the Reds are in the United States and will meet Adrian‘s Real Betis. Here’s how to watch on TV and online.

Arne Slot‘s first match in front of fans takes place against La Liga opposition, now the home of recently departed goalkeeper Adrian.

Pittsburgh is the first stop of the Reds’ pre-season tour and they are playing at Acrisure Stadium, which has a capacity of 68,400 and is home to the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

Liverpool named an initial 28-man squad for the tour, and Diogo Jota has just been added to the list after his arrival on Thursday.

Check This Is Anfield for the latest team news ahead of kickoff.

You can also follow the games by downloading the This is Anfield app, including lineups, live coverage and all the reaction and analysis.

The game gets underway at 12.30am Saturday (BST) – or 7.30pm in Pittsburgh, 7.30pm in New York, 4.30pm in Los Angeles, 9.30am (Saturday) in Sydney, 3.30am (Saturday) in Dubai and 2.30am (Saturday) in Nairobi.

UK Viewers

Liverpool vs. Real Betis is being shown live on LFCTV in the UK, which is available to live stream here.

Live audio commentary of Liverpool vs. Real Betis and a full match replay and highlights will also be available on LFCTV GO here.

This Is Anfield will also be providing live text commentary throughout on our website and full match reaction and analysis on the This Is Anfield app for iPhone and Android later.

Download free here.

US Viewers

Liverpool vs. Real Betis is being shown live on ESPN Deportes and fuboTV in the US, which is available to live stream here.

Live audio commentary of Liverpool vs. Real Betis and a full match replay and highlights will also be available on LFCTV GO here.

This Is Anfield will also be providing live text commentary throughout on our website and full match reaction and analysis on the This Is Anfield app for iPhone and Android later.

Download free here.

Worldwide

Fans outside of the UK can watch Real Betis vs. Liverpool on LFCTV GO here, with a full match replay and highlights also available after the game.

Check our Rest of the World TV guide below for a list of TV broadcasters showing the match live.

This Is Anfield will also be providing live text commentary throughout on our website and full match reaction and analysis on the This Is Anfield app for iPhone and Android later.

Download free here.

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Supporters can find the Reds’ first pre-season fixture on the following channels worldwide:

Cytavision on the Go, Cytavision Sports 7, ESPN Deportes, beIN Sports Connect Hong Kong, LFCTV, VG+, Betis TV, ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN App

You can follow all the action tonight and throughout pre-season with us by downloading the This is Anfield app for iPhone and Android for free.

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Liverpool have welcomed back two key figures to pre-season training ahead of their first friendly on their US tour, while a fresh Anthony Gordon claim has surfaced.

Player and coach land in the US

Liverpool have operated this summer without some key names, but Diogo Jota and goalkeeping coach Claudio Taffarel have touched down in Pittsburgh after their respective summer breaks.

Jota is the first of three Reds to report back during the US tour and, after arriving on Thursday evening, told the club website that “I’ll try to catch up [fitness-wise] with the team, do my physical work first to be ready to start doing my tactical work.”

The forward will first undergo pre-season testing before rejoining team training.

Welcome back, @DiogoJota18 ? pic.twitter.com/PSU8mYgNDA

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 26, 2024

As for Taffarel, who was working with Brazil at the Copa America, he was straight back to work on the training pitches alongside new lead goalkeeping coach Fabian Otte.

With Alisson still absent, they led a group that included Caoimhin Kelleher, Vitezslav Jaros, Harvey Davies and Marcelo Pitaluga.

Slowly but surely, it is all coming together.

5 things today: Jones’ exciting insight and loan deals

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• Liverpool have agreed their second loan deal of the season, sending goalkeeper Fabian Mrozek to Sweden – more deals are to be agreed in the coming weeks

• Owen Beck is among the young players who could find a temporary home this summer, he’s attracting interest from clubs in Germany, the Netherlands and the Championship

• It is hard to believe, but the club’s ex-goalkeeping coach has revealed Liverpool would not have signed Alisson if the Nabil Fekir transfer didn’t collapse – lucky, eh!

• John Heitinga is the recent addition to Slot’s backroom staff, and his “Premier League experience” is a valuable quality ahead of the Dutchman’s debut season

Latest Liverpool FC news

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• Liverpool journalist David Lynch has suggested a deal for Anthony Gordon could be “revived” under the right circumstances – and that would likely hinge on Luis Diaz‘s future (Anfield Agenda)

• The club have been on the lookout for a set-piece specialist to join their backroom staff, and one is reportedly “close to joining.” We’re intrigued to find out who it is! (Echo)

Across Stanley Park and overseas games?

• The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, anticipates Premier League games will be played abroad and he didn’t really speak against it – can we please think of the fans, this isn’t the move (LBC)

• Danish midfielder Jesper Lindstrom is a Reds fan and was a reported target for Liverpool last year, but he’s now signed for Everton – please have red Christmas ornaments, Jesper!

• Bordeaux have relinquished their professional status and have declared bankruptcy days after FSG’s takeover talks were confirmed to have collapsed

What we’re reading…

Jones projected a lot of energy when he spoke to the press, and This Is Anfield‘s Jack Lusby has taken a look at why fans should be just as excited as the midfielder.

Counting down to friendly vs. Real Betis

For the first time, Slot will line up a team in front of fans as the Reds face La Liga’s Real Betis in Pittsburgh, here’s all you need to know:

• Kick off: 7.30pm local time; 12.30am (Saturday BST)
• Where: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh
• How to follow: TIA’s liveblog from midnight

We will have all our regular post-match analysis on Saturday morning. If you’re staying up for the match, enjoy!

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With Liverpool playing Real Betis in the first friendly of their pre-season tour, it gave Adrian a chance to say goodbye to Mohamed Salah and Kostas Tsimikas.

After the season ended with no decision over his future, Adrian was not given the same farewell as the likes of Thiago and Joel Matip at Anfield.

Instead, with Liverpool having offered the goalkeeper a new contract, his free transfer to Betis meant for a quiet exit while his team-mates were away.

But as the two sides face off in Pittsburgh on Friday night, there was an opportunity for Adrian to say goodbye to those he grew close to.

That included Salah and Tsimikas, two of his closest friends in the squad, with the pair greeting their former team-mate at their hotel on Thursday.

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Adrian presented both players with Betis shirts, printed with their name and number on the back, in a cheeky token of their friendship.

Salah was all smiles as he posed with Adrian holding his No. 11 shirt, while Tsimikas joked “I’m leaving!”

The Reds duo are expected to start in Arne Slot‘s first official friendly as head coach, while Adrian will be hoping for his first minutes since joining Betis.

“To be honest, it’s been really intense, the last few weeks, month I would say,” the 37-year-old told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.

“A lot of conversations with Real Betis and with Liverpool as well, because they offered me an extension of my contract.

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“So first of all, I just say thank you to [Liverpool] for giving me that opportunity to continue at the club, but that opportunity came to come back home and I had to use that opportunity.

“As we say, the train passes one time, I have to catch that train; the train is running, so here I am.

“Obviously I tried to express myself to the Liverpool fans with as well, because I had a great five seasons there.”

Adrian signed a two-year contract with Betis, having spent 15 years with the club before his move to England in 2013.

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Curtis Jones has made it clear that he’s relishing the change Arne Slot is bringing to Liverpool, and this new era should be very exciting for fans too.

While his work at Feyenoord and before that AZ Alkmaar offered clues, in the months since his appointment it has been something of a mystery exactly how Slot would set his Liverpool side up.

But speaking ahead of the first official friendly of pre-season against Real Betis in Pittsburgh, Jones gave the biggest indication yet.

“I feel like my way of playing has always been a kid who wants to get on the ball and play, help the team and be comfortable on the ball,” he told reporters.

“I then came around a team who always had world-class lads out on the wing and up front, and I feel like the centre-mids were always lads who were more like runners and more disciplined, I’d say.

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“Of course, the principles are the same, but I feel like now the centre-mid is going to be more like the heart of the team.

“Mo is always still going to get us goals and things like that, but in terms of our buildup and how comfortable on the ball and stuff, how calm we have to be and play more as a team, we’re not in a rush to attack.

“We kind of just want to have the ball and just break teams down, then of course that gives us a chance that, if we give the ball away, then we can go and press.

“I feel more in the past a bit it was like a rush, we get the ball back and it was a little bit too direct, I would say, and it was up and down, up and down.

“Now he wants us to have all the ball and completely kill teams.”

Jones explained that he was “probably the happiest I’ve been in terms of a style of play that suits me,” which created headlines as a supposed dig at Jurgen Klopp.

‘I’m glad he’s gone’ were the words the Mail‘s sub-editors put into the midfielder’s mouth – along with their own reporter’s – but that was far from the case.

There was no slight on Klopp, with it clear from peering into Liverpool’s trophy room that his tactics worked, more so that Jones feels more in his own skin playing Slot’s brand of football.

And he is totally correct. When Jones debuted in the Liverpool first team, Klopp relied upon a core midfield of Fabinho as his No. 6 and Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum as the two more advanced options.

With Fabinho excelling as the best defensive midfielder in the world, screening the back four with ridiculous efficiency, Henderson and Wijnaldum did the legwork ahead of him.

Even when the personnel in Klopp’s midfield changed – up to its current iteration – the roles they were required to fill rarely did.

That is due to a fundamental belief that midfield is where the ball is most often recovered, and where it could be most quickly recycled into attacks on the turnover. It is a philosophy that Klopp wore with pride from day one; counter-pressing trumps all.

Dominik Szoboszlai joined as a dynamic attacking midfielder from RB Leipzig but soon began clocking the hard yards previously expected of Henderson, while Alexis Mac Allister was thrown in at the deep end as Fabinho’s replacement at the base of midfield.

Not to forget that Wijnaldum – the gold standard for a Klopp midfielder – joined in 2016 as a goalscoring No. 10, arriving on the back of a season that saw him score four in one game for Newcastle against Norwich.

Jones himself may be the most drastic conversion project, having emerged in the academy as a dazzling left winger with a resolve to take defenders on, and after years of coaching settled into the role of steady, conservative possession-master.

Per FBref, Virgil van Dijk (91.3%) was the only Liverpool player to post a higher passing accuracy than Jones (90.8%) last season, but no midfielder played fewer progressive passes per 90 than his 5.14.

“I came around the team as a young lad and I’d always had a way of playing, and I had to adapt and change. But that was part of the plan, it wasn’t anything I couldn’t do,” Jones explained.

“But I feel this is more me. I can get on the ball more, I can do me more so I’m excited.”

Slot is unlikely to simply rip up the years of work Klopp and his staff put into honing the games of those midfielders, but the suggestion is that they will be given more freedom to express themselves.

There will be less urgency to feed the strikers, and with the head coach citing Pep Guardiola as one of his key influences, an emphasis on control can be expected instead.

“It’s a clear plan. The training, he’s fully involved, he coaches us a lot and he is big on the finest of details,” added Jones.

“He’s got a certain way of playing and he knows it’s going to take a little bit of time because it’s a big change, but him and his staff are chilled and know the quality is there.”

While Guardiola’s brand of positional play has often led Man City to be branded dull, Slot’s system is no carbon copy.

Instead, making midfield the “heart of the team” should instead make Liverpool an even more exciting proposition, with more outlets and more players capable of making a difference.

By the sounds of it, Jones stands to be one of those to benefit most, but Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Harvey Elliott and Ryan Gravenberch should all thrive with the shackles off.

More responsibility could therefore land at the feet of Slot’s No. 6, which only underlines further that signing a new defensive midfielder to compete with Wataru Endo should be a priority this summer.

But with Jones peeling back the curtain on a new era for Liverpool under the charismatic Dutchman, there is plenty of cause for optimism.

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We are no body language experts, but if Curtis Jones is anything to go by, we should be very excited about what Arne Slot has in store for us.

If you trust words more, the midfielder did not disappoint on the front either as he spoke to the press on Liverpool’s first stop of their US tour.

Jones has played 133 games for Liverpool and showed just how influential he could be last season, before injury struck, he was subject to a lot of praise from Jurgen Klopp, and rightly so.

But the No. 17 could not contain his excitement over what Slot has brought with him, declaring “It’s the happiest I’ve been in terms of a style of play.”

“The happiest I’ve been”

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“He’s amazing, actually,” Jones said of Slot with a wide smile. “It’s probably the happiest I’ve been in terms of a style of play that suits me and the lads that we have in our team.

“It’s a clear plan. The training, he’s fully involved, he coaches us a lot and he is big on the finest of details.

“He’s got a certain way of playing and he knows it’s going to take a little bit of time because it’s a big change, but him and his staff are chilled and know the quality is there.

“I came around the team as a young lad and I’d always had a way of playing and I had to adapt and change. But that was part of the plan, it wasn’t anything I couldn’t do.

“But I feel this is more me. I can get on the ball more, I can do me more so I’m excited.”

‘We we’re too rushed and direct before…’

Jones’ glowing review of Slot continued as he explained he has “always got a smile on his face and can approach him at any time.”

The Dutchman has also brought in analysts to go over training clips with the players, which Jones has found is a “huge help.”

The tactical changes from Klopp to Slot is where Jones gave us the gold, though, explaining: “The centre-mids were always lads who were runners and more disciplined.

“The principles are the same, but I feel that now the centre-mids are going to be more the heart of the team.

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“Mo is still going to get his goals, but in terms of our build-up, it’s how comfortable and calm we have to be and play more as a team.

“We’re not in a rush to attack, we want to have the ball and break teams down and that gives us a chance, if we give the ball way, we can go and press.

“I feel in the past it was a rush to get the ball back and it was a little bit too direct, up and down, up and down.

“Now it’s going to be where he wants us to have all the ball and just completely kill teams.”

Sounds good to us, Curtis!

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The tagline of the recent Wimbledon Championships was ‘Always Like Never Before’. There’s something compelling about that mantra, especially through a Liverpool lens.

It captures the essence of an event that can be relied upon to provide new stars, hit new heights and elicit new feelings.

On the other hand, change is uncomfortable.

There was never a comfort zone with Jurgen Klopp – the translator in Salzburg would have found that out when misquoting his captain in 2019 – but the German’s “competition mood” has now left the building, if not the murals around L4.

Klopp did everything in his power to make the new man welcome. From the very moment he strode out on the Anfield pitch to say goodbye after the 2-0 win over Wolves last season, the 57-year-old could see beyond his legacy.

The Arne Slot chant was an invite that the crowd could not turn down. It was a very clever move in the Dutchman’s absence.

Now it is up to the supporters to make the best versions of the new song. Liverpool do not want a shotgun marriage with the newbie. Nor do they want a slow romance that doesn’t activate the Reds’ greatest weapon – Anfield.

Comparisons and mentality

The opening dance at home will set the tone. Awkward first steps are allowed. Poor results are too – to some extent. Comparisons will be hard to avoid though.

The change at the top is a psychological barrier already for the fan base. Under Klopp, there was absolute confidence of success within the fickle fortunes of elite football.

There was a certainty they had a man who could fight for at least one of the big prizes every year. He connected on all levels too. Everyone felt important. Everyone was important.

Liverpool did not lose many League games under his peak leadership years from 2018 onwards. In 2018/19, they lost one. In 2021/22, they lost two. Even up to the desolate 33rd match day against Crystal Palace last season, there were only a couple of setbacks.

One of those reverses was the nine souls who almost grabbed a point against all realistic odds, a Keystone Cops VAR room, and Tottenham.

The former Feyenoord boss isn’t asking for patience, though. In fact, he is already making positive noises about upping the total from last season.

“I think in the end we would all love to see Liverpool a bit higher than third place and this is the challenge we are facing now – to build on from what we have,” Slot explained in his first club interview.

“I have all the confidence in this because of the players, that we can add a few things where we hopefully can get a bit more points than 82.”

Strangely enough, his Eredivisie team won the title in 2022/23 with 82 points (playing four games less). In his second and final campaigns, there were only two losses. He’s never lost consecutive league games in the Dutch top flight.

PSV won the title last season because of a freakish Manchester City-style barrage of wins. There’s a thread here that bodes well.

This is Slot’s runway now

Slot’s first public game in charge is against Real Betis in the City of Steel, Pittsburgh.

Liverpool’s best days in the last decade were when the players wore body armour borne out of sheer bloody-mindedness.

Klopp’s sides never laid down their weapons. It’s the minimum requirement for the head coach. But Slot has other advantages on entry.

In 2015, the blood and the energy had drained from Brendan Rodgers and the Anfield crowd. Klopp could ask for time to build the project as there was no pre-season for him either.

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If it’s important what people think when a manager leaves, then the answer is pretty clear. Liverpool 2024 is the house that Jurgen built.

Slot’s man management and sensitivity to issues off the pitch have been documented. What really matters is the step up to the Premier League‘s helter-skelter.

This is where it could get messy for the Dutchman. He has inherited quality, fantastic training facilities and the huge expectations of spectators who have been actively engaged in trophy hunts for the majority of the last nine years.

He has to take off at full speed down the runway. The honeymoon period will be short if the Reds slip seven or eight points behind City and Arsenal early. They need to be in the equation if not favourites for number 20.

The tennis analogy is relevant. The 2023 and 2024 Carlos Alcaraz vs. Novak Djokovic tussle on Centre Court was a mini-version of the 2019 and 2022 Man City and Liverpool epics that went down to the wire.

Liverpool’s 45-year-old head coach did name-check the Serb’s ability to win through in extremis when things aren’t going so well.

When the charisma of what went before was so powerful, the slipstream can be a very difficult place to navigate.

Slot will have to make his own history. “You don’t take history in your backpack and carry it with you,” said his predecessor on that famous October day back in 2015.

Slot will be well advised to mark new ground and make new stories. He must do it his way.

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