Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker were among a quartet of Liverpool players who missed the final friendlies of pre-season, although Arne Slot expects the pair to be available for the Community Shield.
The Reds played Athletic Club in back-to-back games at Anfield on Monday night, winning the first 4-1 and the second 3-2.
There were goals for 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott in the first match, plus an Alex Padilla own goal, while Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo (2) scored in the second contest.
It was a positive way for the champions to complete their summer action, before taking on Crystal Palace in the Community Shield on Saturday.
However, there were some concerns as Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley were also not involved in the matches with the Spanish side.
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Speaking ahead of the game, Slot explained of his squad: ‘Almost all of them are fit or stayed fit.
‘Unfortunately, Virgil is sick today. We miss out on Alisson. Joe Gomez is not there, Conor Bradley is not there.
‘But until now we have stayed fit as we wanted to be and new signings came in so they got adjusted to what we want. Looking forward first of all to today and then to the next weeks.’
Alisson returned to Brazil from Liverpool’s summer trip to Asia due to a personal matter, while Bradley and Gomez are dealing with minor injury problems.
Asked if any of the four players will miss the clash with the Eagles at Wembley, Slot was unsure on whether the injured pair would return in time.
‘Virgil normally not,’ the Dutchman said. ‘Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley, it’s going to be tight. Alisson will be back in time as well.’
The second team of the evening appeared to be closest to Slot’s first choice starting line-up.
Giorgi Mamardashvili started in goal, with a back four of Jeremie Frimpong, Ibrahima Konate, Wataru Endo and Milos Kerkez.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch were in midfield behind Mo Salah, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo, with Hugo Eikitike up front.
Liverpool pre-season results
3-1 Preston
5-0 Stoke
2-4 AC Milan
3-1 Yokohama FM
4-1 Athletic Club
3-2 Athletic Club
Endo’s selection at centre-back may be the biggest worry as it demonstrates that the Reds are a touch short in the middle of defence.
The Reds – and Newcastle – remain linked with Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi who is in the final year of his contract at the club.
Speaking after the matches on Monday, slot praised his forwards but had a mixed review of his defence.
‘I think in both games we created a lot of chances, scored seven goals, so that’s very pleasing to see,’ he said.
‘The other games in pre-season we conceded a few chances too much, today we hardly conceded anything at all so that pleased me as well.
‘But then in the second game to concede two set-piece goals, that’s not what you want, especially not if you play Crystal Palace next week, who are a team who are very strong on set-pieces. That’s another thing to work on.’
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