Liverpool will look to end their tour of Australia on a high with a victory over Adelaide United in a preseason friendly at the Adelaide Oval on Monday.
The Reds have been grabbing most of the headlines for their transfer business this summer, with the biggest one of them all – in terms of incomings – set to be completed sometime this week, after Liverpool decided to trigger the buyout clause of Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke.
Latest reports suggest Benteke will have a medical either on Monday or Tuesday, before officially completing his £32.5million move.
While the transfer business will be conducted in Merseyside, Brendan Rodgers and his players will be concentrating on the job at hand – which is getting a bit more fitness into the squad along with a victory over Adelaide United.
"The condition of the team is very good," Rodgers said. "We had a few players the other night that we just took out. But they'll be back available and ready to play.
"I've been really impressed, the players have been working so hard. We have only been back a short period of time but they're really maximising everything in the training sessions and practice.
"They look in good condition. We enter into another game tomorrow night, a tough game for us physically. But that's why we're here, to improve on our level of condition. The squad is in really good physical condition."
While Benteke, if and when he completes his transfer from Aston Villa, is not expected to join Liverpool on their preseason tour of Australia and South East Asia – the Reds also play a Malaysia XI in Kuala Lumpur on Friday – two big names in Philippe Coutinho and new signing Roberto Firmino will join up with the squad on Wednesday.
Rodgers will be keen to integrate Firmino to the squad as quickly as possible, and if the Brazilian blends in as easily as James Milner seems to have done already, the Liverpool manager will be a happy man.
Milner was the star of the show in the 2-1 victory over Brisbane Roar last week, assisting in the equalising goal and then scoring the second after Liverpool had found themselves a goal down early.
"James Milner's a class act," Rodgers said. "We had to work very hard to get him in but I think we'll see over the course of the season how important he is for us.
"He's a wonderful personality and a top-class footballer. When you see him play in his favourite position, you see all these qualities come out."
Where to Watch Live
Liverpool vs Adelaide United is scheduled for a 7 pm local time (3 pm BST, 10.30 am BST, 5.30 am ET) start with live coverage for viewers around the world, including India and the UK, on LFC TV. The live streaming option for the preseason match will be on LFC TV Go.
Viewers in Australia can also watch Adelaide United vs Liverpool live on GO! Australia, while Middle East and North Africa viewers can catch the action live on Bein Sports Arabia or via a live stream on Bein Sports Connect.
Viewers in Malaysia can watch Liverpool's match live on Astro Supersport, while the action can be watched live in Thailand on True Sport.
SuperSport will show the match live in Southern and Sub Saharan Africa, while the match can also be live streamed on SuperSport Live.
