Liverpool's first friendly under Andoni Iraola is being built around absences, not certainty. He has 31 players at his disposal for the game against Sunderland, but eight are still on holiday after the World Cup and another eight are unavailable, which leaves a patched-up squad to work with. Giorgi Mamardashvili is set to start in goal, while Curtis Jones and teenager Will Wright are among the names set to benefit.

The goalkeeper and midfield picture

Mamardashvili starting makes sense even with Freddy Woodman extending his contract earlier this week. He is the clear choice for this kind of match, and his 7.3 rating in the most recent recorded data is a decent marker for a friendly in which Liverpool are far more interested in shape than in headline moments.

Jones also looks well placed to feature centrally. His 7.9 rating in the latest recorded match gives Liverpool one of their steadier options in midfield, which matters in a side that is missing so many regulars. Harvey Elliott is another plausible fit in a rotated XI, with his 6.7 rating in his latest full league outing offering further evidence that the staff have a few reliable pieces to lean on.

Miloš Kerkez is another player to watch, if only because his 6.9 rating high suggests a slightly more settled side down the left. Even there, though, the broader picture is clear enough: this is a squad selection exercise first, with Liverpool trying to stitch together a workable XI rather than chase any sort of ideal starting line-up.

The forward line is the biggest giveaway

The most striking part of the team picture is up front. Iraola has said none of Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley or Giovanni Leoni are close to a comeback this summer, and the injury picture leaves Liverpool without a fit natural striker. That is why Federico Chiesa may be pushed through the middle, with 18-year-old Will Wright handed a chance to lead the line on Saturday.

Wright's recent senior sample is tiny, just one recorded appearance in the supplied data, so this is not a case of a player forcing his way in through sustained first-team output. It is an opening created by the situation around him. For Liverpool, that is the most interesting part of the friendly: the result will matter less than how the side holds together with so many regular options missing.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →