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Eighty-two days after lifting the Premier League trophy at Anfield, Liverpool will return for the 2025/26 campaign, in which it will hope to repeat the trick after a busy summer.
Arne Slot's side has signed several new players, including Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, and there could be a few more yet who come through the door before the September 1 transfer deadline.
For now, though, Slot's priority is getting off to a good start in the Premier League. Bournemouth will arrive at Anfield on Friday having lost a number of its key men to other clubs, but the Reds won't have a full roster available either.
Ryan Gravenberch
Sitting out of the Community Shield because of his partner giving birth, Ryan Gravenberch won't be playing in this game either. On the final day of last season, he was sent off against Crystal Palace and is therefore suspended.
Without Gravenberch, Slot could stick with Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai as a midfield two, or he could bring in Alexis Mac Allister. Between those three, they should have enough to cover the roles.
Conor Bradley
Slot will offer the latest on injuries during his pre-match press conference on Thursday, but Conor Bradley has been sidelined for the last couple of weeks with a relatively minor issue.
If Bradley is unable to be involved — and given his pre-season has been disrupted, he is probably unlikely to start — then it will be Jeremie Frimpong, who scored at Wembley last weekend, who gets the nod at right-back.
Joe Gomez
Even if he is fit again, Joe Gomez would be unlikely to start the game, but he would be a useful substitute given that he is the only senior back-up to the center-back starters.
As it stands, Liverpool only has Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate to select at the back, though it could sign Marc Guehi and Giovanni Leoni before the window ends.
Gomez was sent home from the Asia tour with a minor issue but hasn't been seen since. Like Bradley, though, it isn't expected to keep him out for that long.
Stefan Bajcetic
Another one whose preseason has been disrupted, Stefan Bajcetic was out on loan last season but hasn't been seen since then. His fitness troubles have gotten in the way of a promising talent pushing on with his career.
Bajcetic was excellent when he broke through at Liverpool and his style is ideal for how Slot wants his number sixes to play the position. However, he just needs to be fit for a sustained period of time to get back on track.
Liverpool will be careful with reintegrating him when the time is right. For now, though, there is no timeline on when Bajcetic might be able to take the next steps.
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