Double friendly at Anfield: Liverpool and Athletic's unique pre-season test

Next Monday, 4 August, Anfield will host an unusual event in the European pre-season: two consecutive friendly matches between Liverpool FC and Athletic Club.

Both teams have agreed to play two 90-minute matches, which will allow their coaches to rotate line-ups and give their players more playing time. The first match is scheduled for 6 p.m. (5 p.m. local time), while the second will be played at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. local time).

For Ernesto Valverde's Athletic, the doubleheader will be a demanding follow-up to their matches against PSV Eindhoven and Racing Santander. Arne Slot's Liverpool, meanwhile, arrive after facing Preston North End, Stoke City and AC Milan in pre-season, the latter being the team that handed them their first defeat of the summer.

Both clubs will use the match to test out formations and assess the physical condition of their squads before the start of the official competition.

There are few official matches between Liverpool and Athletic, but those that have taken place are historic: the Basque club has only managed one victory, in the 1968/69 Fairs Cup, qualifying at Anfield thanks to a coin toss.

In 1984, the two teams met in the European Cup round of 16, with a goalless draw in England and a narrow victory for the English side in Bilbao.

In terms of friendlies, the match on 4 August will be the third pre-season encounter since 2017. On that inaugural occasion, Liverpool won 3-1 in Dublin, while in 2021, at Anfield, Athletic secured a 1-1 draw against Jurgen Klopp's side.