Next Sunday, August 10, 2014 (4:00 AM Pacific), Liverpool will entertain Borussia Dortmund at Anfield Road in a match which will be useful for both teams to prepare for the new season that is soon approaching.
As we enter the final countdown for the start of the English Premier League, decisions need to be made and managers need to start building a consistent line-up for the first matches of the season. Things are certainly not different for Liverpool’s boss, Brendan Rodgers, who, especially after the Red’s recent defeat at the hands of Manchester United, certainly needs to sand off the rough edges of his team in order to start the new campaign off on the right foot.
Liverpool put up some quality performances during their pre-season clashes, especially in the match against AC Milan and during the first-half with Manchester United. Brendan Rodgers managed to bring in some excellent players that will certainly offer Liverpool that extra boost of quality they sometimes missed last season, particularly back there in defence.
The arrival of the skilled Croatian centre back Dejan Lovren will surely prove to be a fantastic move by the Reds, since he currently is one of the best in his position at the Old Continent. Adam Lallana, Lazar Markovic and Emre Can, who have also arrived during the Summer, are very important assets for the team’s midfield line and offer the Northern Irish head coach plenty to choose from, in opposition to what happened last season.
After Luis Suárez’ departure, it will be interesting to see how Brendan Rodgers will mount his team to take the English Premier League by storm. Will he try his diamond shaped 4-4-2 once again, with Coutinho as an advanced playmaker lurking behind the front duo or will he opt for a more elastic 4-3-3 with two wingers and only one versatile centre forward to take advantage of the skills of the newcomer Lazar Markovic? The match against Borussia Dortmund will certainly provide a closer insight on how will he display his team in the EPL opening match against Southampton.
As for Borussia Dortmund, Anfield Road’s match will be the team’s sixth pre-season clash this Summer and their first major test against a top quality team. Dortmund smashed the Polish side of Slask Wroclaw 3-0 last Wednesday and continued their positive pre-season streak.
Once again, this Summer, Dortmund lost one of their most influential players, Robert Lewandowski, to their rivals, Bayern Munich, something that will surely force Jürgen Klopp to implement some changes into the team’s game. The arrivals of the Italian sharpshooter Ciro Immobile and of the versatile Colombian forward Adrián Ramos will probably offer the team’s boss the opportunity to change his usual 4-2-3-1 to a more attack-prone formation, although it is still early to make any predictions about the matter.
Liverpool vs Borussia Dortmund Prediction
For next Sunday’s match, despite the immense power of the former German champions, Liverpool have to be considered slight favourites, especially because they are playing at home in front of their enthusiastic supporters and because they are a bit stronger than Dortmund at the moment. This being said, the most likely outcome will be 1-0 for Liverpool.
Liverpool vs Borussia Dortmund Lineups
Liverpool (4-3-3) – Mignolet – Johnson – Lovren – Sahko – José Enrique – Allen – Gerrard – Coutinho – Markovic – Sturridge – Lambert
Head Coach: Brendan Rodgers
Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1) – Langerak – Piszczek – Subotic – Sokratis – Schmelzer – Kehl – Kirch – Jojic – Mkhitaryan – Aubameyang – Immobile
Head Coach: Jürgen Klopp
Liverpool vs Borussia Dortmund TV Schedule
The match will be televised on NBC Sports Network and LFCTV GO on Sunday at 4:00 AM Pacific.
