Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has insisted he has no concerns about Erling Haaland after he was unable to strike a debut goal against Liverpool.

The Premier League champions fell to a 3-1 defeat against Jurgen Klopp's side at the King Power Stadium, with the Norwegian seeing both an effort disallowed and hitting the frame of the goal.

Plenty of expectation has been placed upon Haaland following his big-money move to English football and, with Liverpool's own expensive recruit Darwin Nunez starting on the bench, the stage was set for the forward to make an impact.

City's number nine was unable to do so, while Nunez came off the bench to win a penalty and score Liverpool's third, but Guardiola remained confident his new recruit will be firing in goals throughout the course of the campaign.

"He had chances, two or three in the first half, one at the end, fought a lot, made the movements," he told a news conference.

"Good for him to see the reality, a new country, new league. He was there. Today he didn't score, other days he will score.

"No [worries about the chances that he missed]. He has the quality. He has an incredible sense. We had just two weeks, the team was good in the States. I am really comfortable. The season starts now."

Haaland's big moment came in the latter stages of the match, where the former Borussia Dortmund man struck the crossbar from point-blank range but, while it will likely lead to jibes from rival fans, Guardiola downplayed the incident.

"He is strong, he missed it, another time he would put it in the net. What is the problem? It happened, it is football," he added.

"There was another goal disallowed because the ball was out of the line and he scored. He would do it. It's good to understand sometimes, he needs that situation to understand okay, this is what to do. It's good.

"I am not concerned or worried about that. He would be happy if we won, he scored goals, everyone would be, but the reality is it is a long 11 months.

"We have two, three months ahead of us before the World Cup, so intense, and then after that this season is every three days, four days, and Erling is going to score, I am sure of it."

Trent Alexander-Arnold suggested Darwin Nunez had enjoyed one of the strongest Liverpool debuts he has seen after the new Reds striker starred in a Community Shield success over Manchester City.

Nunez, the flagship purchase this close-season at Anfield, was forced to wait for his bow after he was named on the bench for Saturday's match at the King Power Stadium.

But after Alexander-Arnold had handed the Reds the lead with a deflected first-half effort, the forward appeared for an eventful final half-hour that saw him both win a penalty and net a goal in a lively performance.

Asked how good his new team-mate's performance was, the England right-back hailed Nunez's bow as one of the best at the club in recent memory.

"It's got to be up there," Alexander-Arnold told ITV Sport. "He won the pen, he scored the goal. He looks lively, very lively.

"He's someone who has been brought in to score goals, and he proved he could do that today. He's come in, got his head down, worked hard so far [and] come on today with a point to prove."

Alexander-Arnold was delighted he could similarly contribute to winning the Community Shield, the lone domestic honour previously missing from the club's cabinet under Jurgen Klopp.

"It was on target, that's all I'll say," he said of his goal. "I just tried to make a good connection, steer it towards goal. I'm always happy to contribute towards goals. It was an important one for us.

"This one means a lot, to be honest. I think it's the third time we've been here, and we haven't been able to win it so far. That was our motivation going into it.

"Our season started today. A lot of teams start next week, but ours started today, so it was important for us to get off on the right foot."

Double cup glory last term helped Liverpool go within a whisker of a quadruple, before City edged them on the final day of the Premier League season and they then fell to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

"Who knows what will happen over the course of the season?" added Alexander-Arnold on Saturday.

"Our aim is to be as fit as possible to push them from the very first kick. This was the perfect start, and we hope to win trophies along the way."

Jurgen Klopp declared his Liverpool side are ready for the new season after their 3-1 victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's opener was cancelled out by City debutant Julian Alvarez in the second half, but the Reds responded as Mohamed Salah converted a penalty before Darwin Nunez marked his debut with a goal.

Coming off the bench, Nunez made a key difference to Liverpool as they fought to prevent the tie from going to a penalty shoot-out. He showed that the early signs are promising in the club's bid to ease the loss of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich.

The win means Klopp has won every trophy available to him in English football, having previously fallen short in the Community Shield, and he declared his side were primed to go again after a gruelling campaign last term.

"I liked the game a lot, but most of the time City games against us are cool to watch. We don't always win, but they are entertaining," Klopp told ITV.

"I was happy with our start of the game, but every sub made a difference. The boys are ready and it is good.

"We saw Darwin Nunez in dangerous situations. He used the spaces and finished well, too."

Liverpool played every fixture possible last season as they won the League Cup and FA Cup, while losing in the Champions League final to Real Madrid in Paris.

The addition of Nunez should improve Liverpool's attack, as they failed to score in any of their three finals last term, aside from in penalty shoot-outs.

Andy Robertson believes the former Benfica player, who has faced flak from some critics early in his Reds career, will be a valuable addition to the squad.

"Not bad, after all that's been said about him the last couple of weeks. We need to give him time, but he's shown so much quality already," said left-back Robertson.

"We've got so much quality in our squad and he's added to it, he'll be a good addition."

"They're not used to Erling's natural runs yet, like we're not used to Darwin's. They'll need some time for Erling, but that doesn't mean he can't score."

Jurgen Klopp's assessment of Erling Haaland and Manchester City on Friday could easily have gone against the Liverpool manager.

After all, add in a great goalscorer to an already great team and surely the result can only be more greatness? But in   Saturday's Community Shield game – taking place at Leicester City's King Power Stadium – Klopp's words rang true, and instead it was City's Julian Alvarez and Liverpool's Darwin Nunez who each made their mark.

Liverpool ran out the victors in this latest instalment of English football's new number one rivalry, as City lost the season's curtain-raiser for a second successive year. It was new signing Nunez – named as a substitute when Haaland had been given the nod from the off for the Reds' opponents – who added gloss in a 3-1 victory that makes it advantage Klopp in the rivalry stakes for the coming season.

It was easy to forget, due to the vociferous atmosphere emanating from both ends, that this match amounts to what is essentially an exhibition, even if Pep Guardiola has often cited the Community Shield as a major trophy – one that Klopp had not previously won.

The intensity in the stands was matched by the players, especially in one spell midway through the first half when the tenacious Bernardo Silva sparked a flurry of robust tackles in midfield.

Liverpool dominated the opening stages, enjoying 57 per cent possession in the first 15 minutes and going close through Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson.

It has been an off-season of change for City. Kalvin Phillips and Alvarez have joined Haaland through the door, but Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Oleksandr Zinchenko have left, and a lack of fluidity to the Premier League champions' play was noticeable as they laboured to get out of first gear.

There was a moment prior to Trent Alexander-Arnold's 21st-minute opener, when Kevin De Bruyne spun clear of his marker and Haaland looked all set to burst through and square up Liverpool's stand-in goalkeeper Adrian, yet the Belgian's pass was just too close to Virgil van Dijk.

That summed up a hugely frustrating first half for City's new number nine, who only had three touches prior to the half-hour mark, all of which came in his own half.

Alexander-Arnold's strike, his 10th Reds goal from outside the area, led to red smoke bombs being thrown onto the pitch from a jubilant Liverpool end, and City at that stage looked punch-drunk.

Then, the chances came. First, Haaland drilled at Adrian while off-balance, before he just failed to get proper purchase on a cross from the left – Riyad Mahrez heading into Adrian's arms on the rebound.

In normal pre-season circumstances, Guardiola might well have taken Haaland off when he made his first changes just before the hour, but it was instead Mahrez and Jack Grealish who made way for Alvarez and Phil Foden. At the same time, Klopp introduced Nunez for his domestic bow.

Nunez's impact was near-instant, getting in behind City's line and drawing a desperate lunge from Ederson in the area, but the linesman flagged for offside rather than a Liverpool penalty. Soon after, City's goalkeeper made a brave stop to deny the former Benfica forward.

Where one substitute went close, another then hit the net. In an interview in the matchday programme, Alvarez insisted his focus was not on matching Haaland, but instead on improving his own game. It was the Argentine forward who bundled in City's equaliser after Phil Foden forced Adrian into a save, with VAR overturning an incorrect offside call.

If City and Haaland might need time to gel fully, then the opposite should be true for Alvarez, who was a livewire from the moment he came on, becoming the third Argentinian to score in the Community Shield, after former City strikers Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez.

Though where VAR had come to City's aid for Alvarez's goal, it helped Liverpool 10 minutes later, when a Nunez header struck the arm of Ruben Dias, which referee Craig Pawson deemed to have been in an unnatural position upon checking the screen.

For all the talk of new striker signings at both club, it was perhaps fitting that a familiar face in Salah stepped up for the penalty to remind everyone involved of his quality with a firm finish into the bottom-right corner.

Arguably the most important business Liverpool could have done in the close season was their July 1 move to tie Salah down to a new contract, and the 30-year-old has been directly involved in 13 goals for Liverpool against City, his most against a single side for the Reds.

Haaland had the ball in the net at the other end early in seven minutes of stoppage time, but it did not count – Foden had failed to keep it in. Moments later, Nunez stooped low to head in Robertson's cross. He is the fourth player to have scored on his competitive Liverpool debut under Klopp, after Salah, Van Dijk and Salah.

If there was any further evidence needed that this day would not be Haaland's, the 22-year-old hit the crossbar with the goal gaping with very nearly the last kick of the match to send Liverpool's fans into further delirium. It was the best chance of the match from open play, with an xG (expected goals) rating of 0.54. He was at least able to laugh it off as a bad day at the office, but goalscorers as prolific as him do not take misses like that well.

The former Borussia Dortmund player had just 16 touches over the 90 minutes.

Haaland's day will come, perhaps even against West Ham in City's Premier League opener, but on Saturday's evidence, Liverpool have adapted to their new striker swifter than their great rivals have theirs.

Darwin Nunez capped a memorable debut with a clinching header as Liverpool earned a 3-1 victory against Manchester City in the Community Shield.

The Uruguay international nodded home from close range deep into injury time to confirm the first silverware of the season heads to Merseyside after an energetic, enthralling encounter at Leicester's King Power Stadium.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's first-half strike had been cancelled out by Julian Alvarez with 20 minutes to go, before Mohamed Salah put the Reds back on top from the penalty spot.

It was then Nunez whose goal made sure Jurgen Klopp completed his career clean sweep of elite English domestic honours.

The new man was forced to wait for his debut, however, after being initially named on the bench, and Liverpool did not look to need him thanks to an energetic start out of the gates.

Alexander-Arnold unfurled a fabulous strike from the edge of the box in off the left post in the 21st minute, while miscued chances for City's star buy Erling Haaland left Pep Guardiola with a frustrating first half on his hands.

The introduction of Argentina star Alvarez from the bench proved an inspired move by Spaniard Guardiola, with the former River Plate man flicking home after Phil Foden's saved effort to level matters.

But when Ruben Dias was flagged for a handball from Nunez's header with full-time fast approaching, Salah was able to put the Reds back on top with his low spot-kick.

Nunez's big moment in stoppage time confirmed the result, while Haaland hit the crossbar in the dying moments to sum up his tough day at the office.

Erling Haaland was named in Manchester City's starting line-up for the Community Shield clash with rivals Liverpool, who had Darwin Nunez on the bench.

Haaland joined City from Borussia Dortmund last month in what has been a busy transfer window for the Premier League champions.

The Norway striker scored his first goal for the club in a pre-season friendly win over Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola has selected him to start in the traditional curtain-raiser for the English season, which is being played at Leicester City's King Power Stadium this year.

Haaland will play down the middle, flanked by Jack Grealish and former Leicester winger Riyad Mahrez.

Nathan Ake - linked with a move away from City in recent weeks - partners captain Ruben Dias at the back, with Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Rodri selected in midfield. Kalvin Phillips and Julian Alvarez, City's other new signings, had to settle for a place on the bench.

Nunez has been the big-money arrival at Liverpool this transfer window, but the former Benfica star was named among Jurgen Klopp's substitutes.

With goalkeeper Alisson injured, Adrian was handed a rare start for the FA Cup winners, who have Roberto Firmino leading an attacking three that also includes Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz.

Saturday's encounter marks just the second Community Shield game between City and Liverpool, with Guardiola's side winning on penalties in 2019.

It is the first time the Community Shield has been held away from Wembley since 2012, when City beat Chelsea 3-2 at Villa Park.

This weekend's Community Shield sees the new English domestic season begin as the last one ended, with Manchester City and Liverpool doing battle.

City pipped Liverpool to the Premier League title, but the Reds got the better of Pep Guardiola's men in their FA Cup semi-final, going on to beat Chelsea in the decider and book their place in Saturday's curtain-raiser.

These two are expected to lead the way once again in 2022-23, yet plenty has changed in their ranks since they were last in action – particularly in attack.

At the Etihad Stadium, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling have departed to be replaced by Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez.

With Haaland's arrival perhaps the most notable in the Premier League during this close-season, Liverpool responded with their own big-money big man up front; Darwin Nunez was signed from Benfica to be flanked by the returning Mohamed Salah, but Sadio Mane is gone.

After several years of success at the forefront of English football, Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp appear set to reshape their teams around their latest buys.

Both managers lined up last season primarily without a traditional number nine.

Jesus may return to that role after joining Arsenal, but City's sole centre-forward often played from the right in 2021-22, taking only 16.0 per cent of his Premier League touches in the penalty area.

Haaland, by contrast, took 20.7 per cent of his Bundesliga touches in the box for Borussia Dortmund last term, which explains how a staggering 96.3 per cent of his shots were taken from inside the area – by far a higher share than that of any forward who played for City or Liverpool.

That mark comfortably tops Nunez's (74.1 per cent of shots in the box), too, but the 23-year-old also brings something new to a Reds outfit who have often deployed a false nine through the middle.

Roberto Firmino was that man for a long time and took only 9.5 per cent of his touches in the area last season. Nunez took a mammoth 24.5 per cent of his Primeira Liga touches within 18 yards of goal.

Staying in such positions so regularly helped to boost the shot conversion rates of Haaland (27.5 per cent) and Nunez (30.6 per cent), although both still impressively outperformed their expected goals (xG) totals; Haaland scored 22 from an xG of 18.5, while Nunez netted 26 from an xG of 18.4.

In fact, the numbers suggest Divock Origi was the only player across the best two squads in the Premier League who performed in a manner akin to that which might now be expected of the superstar duo.

Origi, who has left Liverpool for Milan, took 21.7 per cent of his touches in the box, and his shoot-on-sight policy saw an attempt at goal for every 6.9 touches (9.3 for Haaland, 9.8 for Nunez).

Yet this perhaps spoke as much to Origi's role as Liverpool's specialist rescue act as anything else; he made only seven appearances, all from the bench for a combined 126 minutes, yet scored three goals, converting 30.0 per cent of his shots.

Over the course of his time under Klopp, when he was occasionally asked to play wide, Origi's statistics were more in line with those of his former team-mates. Only 13.3 per cent of his touches came in the box, just 68.9 per cent of his shots were from within the same range, and those attempts arrived every 16.4 touches on average.

Maybe Klopp will also ask Nunez to push wide and stretch the play, maintaining the fluid forward line that saw winger Mane increasingly used through the centre in big games.

That should not necessarily hamper Nunez's hopes of scoring regularly; Salah could afford to marginally underperform his xG (23.8) and still strike 23 times in the league last season, playing from the right but taking 19.6 per cent of his touches in the box and needing only 12.4 on average to attempt a shot.

Prior to last season, Guardiola had at least been able to incorporate at City the sort of penalty-box striker he has signed in Haaland.

Sergio Aguero averaged a shot every 10.0 touches under Pep, with 17.8 per cent of his touches across five seasons coming inside the area.

And Haaland brings more to his game, too, if only due to his sheer size. The 1.94-metre ex-Dortmund man won 57.6 per cent of his aerial duels in 2021-22 – no City or Liverpool forward won more than half, with Nunez also lagging on 40.6 per cent.

But perhaps the former Guardiola player whose profile most resembles Haaland's is Zlatan Ibrahimovic – and his Barcelona career was not Pep's biggest success story.

Just as City will have to adapt to Haaland – perhaps by allowing him to compete aerially from a few of their trademark cutback crosses – so will he to them. The forward completed just 71.3 per cent of his passes in the league last season; that lax level of link-up is unlikely to wash in a Guardiola side, as Jesus (84.8 per cent), Sterling (85.4 per cent) and Riyad Mahrez (90.0 per cent) will attest.

Nunez completed 67.1 per cent of his league passes, which would similarly rank him last among Liverpool forwards, but he should at least be familiar with the high-pressing approach enforced by Klopp.

Liverpool led the Premier League in high turnovers (443 or 11.7 per game), average starting position (45.5m upfield) and opposition passes per defensive action (9.9 PPDA), while Benfica (9.0 high turnovers per game, 44.4m starting position and 8.7 PPDA) unsurprisingly ranked in the Primeira Liga's top three in each category.

So, there is plenty to be excited about both in Manchester and in Liverpool and yet great scope for potential teething problems.

The forthcoming title tussle could well be decided by how successfully Haaland and Nunez fit into these ruthless, relentless winning machines, and Saturday provides an early opportunity to assess that process.

Erling Haaland is fit enough to play a part in Manchester City's Community Shield clash with Liverpool on Saturday, manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed.

The 22-year-old has played just 40 minutes of pre-season action since joining City from Borussia Dortmund earlier this transfer window.

Guardiola has been carefully managing Haaland's fitness due to the prolific striker carrying some minor niggles, but he is ready to use him against Liverpool this weekend.

"He's ready to play on Saturday, and the first impression as a guy is really good, a funny guy. He's settled really well with the team. That is important," Guardiola said.

"Apparently people think it's not one of the most important things, but it is... the good vibes in the locker room is more important than any advice or any other thing you can say.

"We try to settle good with the family, try to get to know each other in training, we can see what we want to do, what we did in previous seasons. The quality will do the rest."

Haaland scored 86 goals in 89 appearances in all competitions for Dortmund – only Robert Lewandowski (122) and Kylian Mbappe (89) scored more times among players from Europe's top five leagues across that period.

The Norway international required just 12 minutes to get off the mark in his City debut with the winner against Bayern Munich last week, and Guardiola is happy with the former Salzburg striker's condition.

"He feels good. When I spoke with him over the last days, he feels a little bit [of niggles], but he can train and move. At the end of August, he will be better than now," Guardiola said.

"Now we have one game a week, with more training. After that, we start the crazy schedule – three days, four days.

"I think for Liverpool and ourselves I think we arrive at this competition a little early, but the opportunity to play the Community Shield is always too early. We have to adapt."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Manchester City will have to get used to having Erling Haaland in the side, just as his team must adapt to Darwin Nunez.

The two best teams in England bolstered their fearsome attacks in the off-season, with City signing Haaland from Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool spending big on Nunez from Benfica.

Since making his debut for Dortmund in January 2020, only Robert Lewandowski (122) and Kylian Mbappe (89) have scored more goals among players from Europe's top five leagues than Haaland, who netted 86 goals in 89 appearances in all competitions for BVB.

Meanwhile, Nunez enjoyed a brilliant season in 2021-22, scoring 34 goals in all competitions, including six in the Champions League.

Both players impressively outperformed their expected goals (xG) totals in their respective league competitions, too; Haaland scored 22 from an xG of 18.5, while Nunez netted 26 from an xG of 18.4.

Haaland netted in City's pre-season win over Bayern Munich, as Nunez scored four in a 5-0 rout of RB Leipzig last week.

The duo are set to make their competitive debuts in Saturday's Community Shield clash between City and Liverpool, and ahead of that game, Klopp believes both teams – who have often played without a natural centre-forward – must adapt to their new strikers.

"I watched the Bayern [v City] game – they're not used to Erling's natural runs yet, like we're not used to Darwin's," Klopp told a news conference.

"They'll need some time for Erling, but that doesn't mean he can’t score. Most things look like last year, how they set up the press. No real changes."

Both City and Liverpool also have to adapt to losing some key performers. 

While not always regulars at City, Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus have proved crucial to Pep Guardiola's success, and Liverpool now have to find a way to play without Sadio Mane, who has left for Bayern Munich. Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino are also gone.

Yet Klopp is confident Nunez, along with fellow additions Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsey, can help Liverpool develop.

"[We've] lost three first team players, Sadio, Divock and Taki, brought in three, and there's space for young players to step in as well," Klopp said.

"We're together for a while and know each other and what we expect from each other. We want to use the togetherness we have and the experiences we've had for the better."

Joe Gomez has switched his Liverpool squad number ahead of the 2022-23 season and has promised to replace any shirts bought with his previous number on.

The defender – who has found game time at his preferred centre-back position harder to come by in recent seasons due to injury and the form of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate – has worn number 12 since joining Liverpool from Charlton Athletic in 2015.

However, the 25-year-old England international has taken the number two shirt ahead of the new campaign, which for Liverpool starts on Saturday when they face Premier League champions Manchester City in the Community Shield.

Traditionally a right-back's number in English football, the switch perhaps suggests Gomez will have to settle for playing back-up to Trent Alexander-Arnold once again this coming season, although Liverpool have also brought in promising youngster Calvin Ramsey from Aberdeen.

A club statement confirmed Gomez had offered to personally reimburse anybody that had bought a 2022-23 replica shirt printed with 'Gomez 12'.

Liverpool's number 10 shirt remains vacant for the new season after Sadio Mane's departure to Bayern Munich.

Here we go again. Some 69 days on from taking their latest Premier League title battle down to the final minutes of the final day of the last campaign, Manchester City and Liverpool prepare to face off in the 2022-23 curtain-raiser.

Liverpool not only missed out to City on the title but also tasted defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League final the following week, although the 2021-22 season was not all bad as they lifted both the EFL Cup and FA Cup.

It has been a busy window for both clubs in terms of incoming and outgoing activity, but England's two dominant forces appear certain to battle it out for a share of the major honours once again this time around.

The first of the trophies up for grabs is the Community Shield this weekend, contested between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup. 

While some question just how competitive the fixture exactly is – especially this campaign, with the match being held away from Wembley – it provides both sides with an opportunity to lay down an early marker for what is to come over the next 10 months. 

Community Shield with a difference

If Jose Mourinho was so eager to count it as a major honour, then who are we to argue against the Portuguese, who lifted the shield with both Chelsea and Manchester United.

This year's game is a little different in more ways than one, though, as for the first time since 1958 – when Bolton Wanderers beat Wolves 4-1 in the month of October – the showpiece will be held outside of August, a knock-on effect of the World Cup being staged midway through the campaign.

It is also the earliest in the calendar year the match has taken place since 1922 when Liverpool were beaten by Huddersfield Town in May.

Not only is the traditional date of the fixture different, so too is the venue. With Wembley being used for the Women's Euro 2022 final on Sunday, the contest will be held away from England's national stadium for the first time in a decade, since City beat Chelsea at Villa Park.

The game is instead being hosted by the King Power Stadium, and that could be bad news for Jurgen Klopp, who has lost more games at this venue (five) than he has at any other ground as Liverpool boss, excluding Anfield.

Reds' losing streak

There are plenty of familiarities this weekend, however, not least the fact that it will be City and Liverpool facing off for a trophy – albeit with this only their second encounter in the Community Shield, following City's penalty shoot-out success three years ago.

Liverpool are aiming to lift the trophy for a 16th time, which would move them level with Arsenal and behind only Manchester United (21), including occasions when the shield was shared. City are sixth on the list of all-time winners, seeking their seventh triumph this time around.

City may not have had as much success in the curtain-raising fixture down the years as Liverpool, but they have triumphed in three of their past five appearances – in 2012, 2018 and 2019.

The Reds' record is far less impressive in recent times, having lost four of their past six Community Shield matches, including each of the past two against City in 2019 and Arsenal in 2020.

Goals galore in Leicester?

If recent encounters between these sides have taught us anything, it is that we can expect to be entertained at the King Power Stadium on Saturday. 

Both teams have scored in eight of the past nine meetings between City and Liverpool in all competitions, including each of the past five in a row. Across those most recent nine matches, 33 goals have been netted in total – an average of 3.7 per game.

Last season alone saw both sides score at least twice in their three meetings in all competitions, which finished in a couple of four-goal draws in the league and a 3-2 win for Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-finals.

All eyes on Salah

Both sides will look slightly different following a busy period of transfers, and seeing how the likes of Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips, Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho perform – if indeed used – will be one of the most exciting aspects.

There will be plenty of familiar faces on show, too, including Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, who has been involved in 11 goals in 14 games against City for the Reds, making them his second-favourite opponent behind West Ham (12 goal involvements).

Pep Guardiola will also hope to get some minutes out of Phil Foden, who has yet to feature in pre-season due to visa issues that prevented him travelling to the United States.

The England international enjoys playing against Liverpool, scoring and assisting a combined five goals against them in five starts, although he has failed to do so in his past two outings in this fixture.

Jurgen Klopp believes Euro 2022 hosts England are favourites to triumph against his native Germany in the final, but feels women's football is the winner whatever the result.

The Lionesses will compete in their first major tournament final since 2009 after three consecutive semi-final exits over the past decade, where they will face the competition's most historically successful nation.

Yet buoyed by home advantage and a string of utterly remarkable results – including a 4-0 demolition of top-ranked side Sweden in the last four – Sarina Wiegman's side likely enter Sunday's final at Wembley Stadium at shorter odds.

Liverpool boss Klopp will see his Reds side play their FA Community Shield clash with Manchester City at Leicester's King Power Stadium on Saturday in order to facilitate the showpiece clash in north London the following day.

The German feels both his adopted home and his birth nation would be worthy winners, but that it is likely England who just shade the pair, while adding the tournament's success is great for the women's game.

"I really have to say I love women's football," Klopp stated. "It's outstanding. The quality of the tournament is insane. England are doing exceptionally well, and Germany, they've [done] really well [too].

"I think it's a really good final, [with] two intense teams facing each other. You can imagine that as much I love England, in this specific case my heart is on the German side,

"[A] sold-out at Wembley with the English crowd, it'll be a massive challenge for Germany. But I think the most important thing is the fact that women's football has shown it's a fantastic game.

"We all knew that before. Women's football over the last few years [has] exploded. It's tactically [and] technically at an incredibly high level. The intensity of the game - I love watching it. I really love watching it

"I think England are a slight favourite because of playing at home, but Germany has a chance as well and that's enough."

Jurgen Klopp said it is "essential" Roberto Firmino stays at Liverpool amid reports he could join Juventus.

Juve are said to have targeted the Brazil international as they look to rebuild under Massimiliano Allegri, with Paulo Dybala having left on a free transfer to Roma.

Firmino has become a fans' favourite at Anfield after joining the Reds from Hoffenheim in 2015, but the 30-year-old is in the final year of his contract.

Liverpool manager Klopp dismissed talk that Firmino could be on the move ahead of the Community Shield showdown with Manchester City on Saturday.

"Bobby is crucial for us," Klopp said during a press conference on Thursday. "Bobby is [the] heart and soul of this team.

"The way we played in the last few years was only possible because of Bobby. That's why I’m really happy he could train the majority of the time here in the pre-season so far and everything looks really good.

"I am absolutely fine and, for me, there's no doubt about his quality. All the rest, we will see how this year goes, but yes, he is essential for us."

Firmino played 35 times across all competitions last season for Liverpool, scoring 11 goals. For the past five years, he has been a crucial part of the Reds' fearsome attacking trident alongside Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Yet that trio is no more, with Mane having left for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, though Klopp has no complaints over the prolific Senegal forward's decision to move on.

"We lost Sadio who was a fixed member of the line-up for six years, he told us he wanted a new challenge," Klopp added.

"He told us early enough and we accepted it. We had time to prepare that and that's what we did."

Klopp revealed goalkeeper Alisson and forward Diogo Jota will miss the clash with City due to injury.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Alisson and Diogo Jota will not be available for Saturday's Community Shield clash with Manchester City, but the goalkeeper should be fit for the start of the new Premier League season.

Alisson sustained an abdominal injury in Liverpool's opening pre-season outing, a 4-0 loss to Manchester United in Bangkok two weeks ago, and has missed their three friendlies since then.

Speaking earlier in the week, Klopp suggested that Alisson still had a chance of taking part against City at the King Power Stadium this weekend, but the Brazil international has now officially been ruled out.

On a more positive note, however, Klopp revealed he expects his first-choice keeper – who started 36 of Liverpool's 38 league matches last season – to be fit in time for next week's Premier League opener at Fulham.

"Alisson trained today more today than the day before and will definitely be available for Fulham, but not for the weekend," Klopp said at his pre-match news conference on Thursday.

Klopp also announced that forward Jota is still not available, having yet to feature for the Reds this pre-season after suffering a recurrence of a hamstring injury, adding it "will take a while" before the Portugal international will be considered for selection again.

With Caoimhin Kelleher also unavailable, Liverpool are likely to go with third-choice keeper Adrian in goal this weekend in a curtain-raising showdown between last season's Premier League and FA Cup winners.

Including occasions when the trophy was shared, Liverpool have won the Community Shield 15 times, a tally bettered only by Manchester United (21) and Arsenal (16).

And having lifted the Premier League, Champions League, EFL Cup, FA Cup, European Super Cup and Club World Cup across his seven years at Anfield, Klopp is motivated to add a new trophy to his collection.

"It's a very important game. It's the last domestic cup competition we haven't won yet, so we'll give it a try," the German coach said. "It's a very important game, but we still have to prepare for a whole season. 

"I can't ignore the fact that after the game is a season – we will have to extend our pre-season into the season."

Saturday's match will be Liverpool's first competitive outing since losing May's Champions League final to Real Madrid, but Klopp insists that defeat was soon out of his system.

"It took me a day [to get over it] and then we had the parade," he said. "We knew it was a close game and we were unlucky in moments but it's sport and we accept the rules. 

"We played in a high level, consistent and were deserved winners in the games we won. We have to do it again this season."

Liverpool lost on penalties to City in their only previous Community Shield encounter in 2019, with the game finishing 1-1 in normal time, and also lost in a shoot-out to Arsenal a year later.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp called on his players to provide more support to new arrival Darwin Nunez following a 1-0 defeat to Salzburg.

The 23-year-old played the first half of Liverpool's friendly against the Austrian side, with a largely second-string line-up for the opening 45 minutes seeing Nunez joined in attack by fellow new arrival Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott.

By the hour mark, Liverpool had switched to a full-strength side, suggesting that Nunez may begin the season outside the starting line-up, but were unable to claw their way back into the match.

Nunez's game was a far cry from his four-goal show against RB Leipzig the last time he took to the field, and Klopp made it clear his new addition requires sustained support from team-mates.

"First half, we made too many mistakes which they could use. We had good moments as well, we could have scored in the whole game four, five goals at least. We didn't do that," Klopp told Liverpool's club media after the match.

"Darwin was much too often alone. Everybody dropped, everybody was involved in the build-up but too wide, and we could only pass the ball to Darwin in the box.

"He had his moments and nearly scored, but he needs much more support around him. You keep other players busy that they cannot focus on him. So many things. In the second half, imagine now Darwin would have been there in the box, that could have helped as well. It is like it is – it doesn't feel great, but we take it and go from here."

Liverpool will now look ahead to the Community Shield clash against Manchester City on Saturday, with a final friendly against Strasbourg a day later, before their Premier League season commences on August 6 against Fulham.