Liverpool confirms summer pre-season tour plans with AC Milan fixture announced
Liverpool has confirmed its plans for this summer's pre-season tour, with the Reds set to face AC Milan in Hong Kong before traveling to Japan.
It's the first time Liverpool have played in Japan during the summer months, although Rafael Benitez's side famously played in the 2005 World Club Championship final in Yokohama.
The Reds will face Milan on Saturday July 26 at the newly opened Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong before the squad flies to Japan, with the fixtures for that leg of the tour yet to be confirmed.
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"We're extremely excited to be returning to Asia for this summer's pre-season tour," Ben Latty, Liverpool's chief commercial officer said in a statement. "We look forward to bringing our hundreds of millions of fans in Asia closer to the club they love."
The fixture takes place 20 years on from the Reds' famous Champions League final win over Milan, while Arne Slot's 2024/25 iteration won 3-1 at the San Siro earlier this season in a Champions League meeting between the clubs, when Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai scored.
In announcing the news, Liverpool added via its website: "While in Asia, the club will also take part in a number of key local community projects and cultural activities, as well as hosting a number of supporter events with club legends."
Wataru Endo, the Japan captain, is likely to play a central role in the club's marketing campaign around the tour of Japan, despite playing a minimal role in the club's 2024/25 campaign.
This summer's pre-season plans for Premier League clubs have been impacted by the expanded Club World Cup, which will be held in the USA. Manchester City and Chelsea will be the English representatives in the lucrative competition, with the winners set to earn up to $125 million and $1 billion to be shared among the 32 sides at the competition.
The rest of the top-flight clubs have begun making plans for this summer with Manchester United confirming it will play in this summer's Premier League's Summer Series, along with West Ham United, Bournemouth and Everton. The rest of the top-flight clubs should announced plans in the coming weeks and months.
Liverpool played in the States last year in pre-season when it played Real Betis, Arsenal and United. The Reds last played in the US in Hong Kong in 2017 when they faced Crystal Palace and Leicester City.
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