Liverpool vs Athletic Bilbao Club Friendly LIVE Football Score 8 Aug 2021

Liverpool‘s penultimate match of the pre-season period takes place at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, as Athletic Bilbao pay a visit to Merseyside for a friendly clash.

Jurgen Klopp‘s team sank Bologna in two respective hour-long friendlies on Thursday, whereas Athletic will take on Southampton on Saturday 24 hours before travelling to Merseyside.

With a mix of first-teamers, youth products and fringe players each being handed the opportunity to impress in two 60-minute friendlies against Bologna, Klopp has plenty to ponder for the new campaign following a pair of 2-0 and 1-0 victories in France.

The 3pm kickoff saw Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane put the Reds two goals to the good before the 15-minute mark in a comfortable 2-0 win, and two hours later, a new-look Liverpool side also notched up a 14th-minute goal through Takumi Minamino before Divock Origi failed to convert from 12 yards.

Klopp only had positive things to say about his side’s performances as they quickly bounced back from an action-packed 4-3 loss to Hertha Berlin, and the Reds boss soon turned his attention to the weekend, where he is expecting the “biggest atmosphere” at Anfield for the past 18 months.

All has been relatively quiet on the transfer front at Liverpool, but Klopp has a plethora of out-of-favour players seeking two final opportunities to impress, as the Reds will round off their pre-season against Osasuna the day after their battle with Athletic.

Liverpool are back in action with another pre-season friendly at Anfield this weekend as they take on Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. The Merseyside giants have been impressive under Jurgen Klopp and hold the upper hand going into this game.

Athletic Bilbao have been inconsistent over the past year and will need to improve their record against Europe’s better teams. The Basque giants stunned Southampton with a 3-1 victory earlier this week and will be confident going into this fixture.

Liverpool, on the other hand, had two good outings against Bologna this week and will want to experiment with their combinations in this fixture. Jurgen Klopp has excellent players at their disposal and will want his side to step up this weekend.

Liverpool have a good record against Athletic Bilbao and have won five out of 10 games played between the two teams. Athletic Bilbao have managed four victories against Liverpool and will want to level the scales this weekend

The previous meeting between the two teams took place in 2017 and ended in a 3-1 victory for Liverpool. Athletic Bilbao have not been at their best this year and will need to take it up a notch on Sunday.

Liverpool vs Athletic Bilbao Team News

Liverpool

Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez featured against Bologna earlier this week and are available for this match. Thiago Alcantara is recovering from an injury and remains unavailable for selection.

Injured: Thiago Alcantara

Doubtful: None

Athletic Bilbao

Yuri Berchiche is injured at the moment and will not be able to feature against Liverpool this weekend. Unai Simon is representing Spain at the Olympics and will be excluded from the squad.

Injured: Yuri Berchiche

Doubtful: None

Unavailable: Unai Simon

Liverpool vs Athletic Bilbao Predicted XI

Liverpool Predicted XI (4-3-3): Alisson Becker; Andrew Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Kostas Tsimikas; Fabinho, Curtis Jones, Jordan Henderson; Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Sadio Mane

Athletic Bilbao Predicted XI (4-4-2): Julen Agirrezabala; Oscar De Marcos, Yeray Alvarez, Inigo Martinez, Mikel Balenziaga; Nico Williams, Oihan Sancet, Unai Vencedor, Jon Morcillo; Raul Garcia, Asier Villalibre

Liverpool vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction

Liverpool are finally rid of most of their injury concerns and will look to get the best out of their players ahead of the new season. Jurgen Klopp has multiple options at their disposal and will likely name a strong team this weekend.

Athletic Bilbao have a point to prove in La Liga but will need to address a few issues this month. Liverpool are the better team and should be able to win this game.

Prediction: Liverpool 2-0 Athletic Bilbao