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Liverpool is set to play a friendly match during its pre-season tour of Japan on Thursday, despite looming tsunami warnings in the country.
Arne Slot's team have been stationed in Tokyo as part of their Far East tour and are slated to face Yokohama F. Marinos at 11:30 BST, translating to 19:30 local time. As it stands, the game at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama – a city nestled just south of the capital, on Tokyo Bay – is still on track to proceed, notwithstanding alarming alerts from the Japanese government.
Earlier on Thursday, an earthquake of magnitude 8.8 struck far-eastern Russia, just off the coast of the Kamchatka peninsula. This has triggered tsunami and flood warnings across the Pacific Ocean, with countries including Russia, China, Japan, the United States and Ecuador bracing for potential waves.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a statement saying: "Tsunamis are still being observed, and there is a risk of damage from tsunamis. Tsunamis can strike suddenly. Please do not leave safe places until the warning is lifted.", reports the Mirror.
"When the tsunami coincides with high tide, there is a possibility that the water level will rise further than it currently is."
The Japanese government has cautioned that waves could reach heights of up to 3m (9ft) and has advised residents on the east coast to seek refuge on higher ground. The warning spans from Hokkaido island in the north to Wakayama prefecture in the south, impacting approximately 1.9 million people.
Yokohama sits roughly halfway along the eastern coastline of Honshu, Japan's primary island, though it remains unaffected at present.
Linda Pizzuti, spouse of Liverpool proprietor and Fenway Sports Group (FSG) chairman John W. Henry, accompanied the squad in Tokyo earlier on Thursday and shared an update via social media.
She posted on Instagram with an image from her balcony overlooking the water and Tokyo Bay, captioning: "Tsunami warnings in parts of Japan, but Tokyo Bay is calm."
The fixture appears set to proceed without disruption following Liverpool's announcement of their starting eleven against Yokohama.
Giorgi Mamardashvili features between the posts, with Alisson granted leave to return home for personal matters. Hugo Ekitiké leads the attack alongside fellow new recruit Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo.
Milos Kerkez, the £40million acquisition from Bournemouth, begins at left-back, whilst Conor Bradley occupies the right-back position following Trent Alexander-Arnold's switch to Real Madrid.
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