Hello, football fans, and welcome to what is officially the first match of the new season!
It seems as though we've barely had any time away from the game at all with the raft of international tournaments taking place all summer, but the preseason campaign for 2013-14 is about to get up and running for Liverpool as they take on Preston North End in their first friendly match.
The Reds could have four new faces involved, while plenty of younger faces might also get game time as the players look for fitness and rhythm after their time off.
It might only be a friendly match, but the excitement of getting the new season started will be in place nonetheless, as will, presumably, one of Liverpool's new kits for the forthcoming season.
Make sure you join me from around an hour before kickoff for all the team news, buildup and in-game action as we chart the progress of the Reds at the start of Brendan Rodgers' second season in charge.
Liverpool get their preseason campaign up and running on Saturday as they take on Preston North End in their first friendly fixture of the summer.
The Reds are gearing up for their only preseason game on home soil before they head for the Southern Hemisphere and their tour of Australia and Thailand. Brendan Rodgers and his team have been back in training for close to two weeks, undertaking physical work mixed in with ball work, and this will be the first chance for the players to get back on the pitch after the summer off.
Liverpool ended last season placed in seventh in the Premier League, while Preston ended 14th in League One, the third tier of English football.
The two clubs have met a total of 69 times, with the last match coming in 2009, an FA Cup third round game which the Reds triumphed in, 2-0. Albert Riera and Fernando Torres scored for Liverpool. Just five of the Reds' players in that match-day squad remain at the club.
The winners of the friendly fixture will be awarded with the Bill Shankly trophy, a specially-commissioned trophy to mark the occasion. "Shanks" was a player for Preston, making over 300 appearances for them, before he later became perhaps the most famous Liverpool manager ever, taking the club from the Second Division to Champions of England.
Team News
Liverpool are without their Confederations Cup participants, who have not yet returned to training.
Seb Coates, Luis Suarez and Pepe Reina will therefore play no part in the friendly.
Manager Brendan Rodgers has intimated, via the official club website, that the four new signings—Kolo Toure, Iago Aspas, Simon Mignolet and Luis Alberto—may all play a part in the game.
There's every chance. All of the players are working here. If they are all well and fit then they will travel for the game on Saturday. Simon Mignolet will play, of course; Aspas, Luis Alberto and Kolo Toure - they will all get a run-out.
Preston have so far signed three players to permanent deals, including former Premier League striker Kevin Davies, and have loaned Norwich City goalkeeper Declan Rudd. All four players could also play a part for Preston against Liverpool.
