SINGAPORE, 29 JULY 2023 – Liverpool FC are counting on their two matches in Singapore to provide a boost to their pre-season preparation, with manager Jürgen Klopp and defender Virgil van Dijk vowing to put up a better showing next season. The Reds will face Leicester City FC for the Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy at the National Stadium on 30 July, in the second of three matches as part of the Singapore Festival of Football Driven by CDG Zig.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday (29 July), van Dijk said: “We all are human beings and over the last few years we all had a lot of success together. If you had the season that we had last year, a lot of things didn’t go as we all wanted and we want to put it right. So far pre-season has been very good – very hard, but very good and hopefully it can benefit us for the rest of the season. We love to come here. We love the fans. We appreciate all of you supporting us all over the world but obviously to be here and feel the love … everyone wants to feel loved and see all the fans at the hotel, at the training and tonight it’s going to be great again like last year was. It’s always an amazing feeling to be on this side of the world and see so many happy faces and make fans happy as well. We are very privileged and blessed to do that.”
Klopp, who was greeted with fervent roars when the team arrived on Friday, said: “We often really know about the size of the club when you come to this part of the world. We always feel the love of the people and we get a big reception, and that’s why we really love coming here. The big difference between this year and last year is we’ve already had our training in Germany (this year) which is super important to us. And we’ll have two close games here and a training session tonight, which will be an important session for us.”
Smiling, he added: “It will be a normal, tactical session tonight and I hope people will not be constantly screaming because then I will need to try and find a microphone to talk to the players. But it’s great, it is exactly what you want when you play for a club like Liverpool, you travel and show your face wherever our supporters are. We cannot do that constantly but as much as we can, we have to do it.”
Klopp might well have needed a microphone at Liverpool FC’s Open Training session on Saturday, with the perpetual cheers of over 15,000 spectators reverberating around the National Stadium. Delighted fans sang and chanted players’ names, and also performed several rounds of the iconic Kallang Wave throughout the 90-minute training session. They were duly rewarded afterwards, as the players made a lap around the stadium, where they signed autographs and took wefies with some lucky fans.
The Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy kicks off at 5pm on 30 July at the National Stadium, and Leicester City FC manager Enzo Maresca is looking forward to the match. During a press conference at the Lion City Sailors Training Centre, Maresca said: “It’s a huge test. We’re facing, for me, the best team in the world in terms of transition, the best team probably in terms of pressing so it will be nice, it’ll be a good test for us. Then finally next week, we can start our season officially.”
Liverpool FC will return to the National Stadium again on 2 August, where they will face Bundesliga champions FC Bayern Munich for the Singapore Trophy presented by Audi and Standard Chartered. In the opening match of the week-long Singapore Festival of Football Driven by CDG Zig on 26 July, Tottenham Hotspur beat Lion City Sailors 5-1 to clinch the Tiger Cup.
Off the pitch, fans are encouraged to attend the Football Interactive Fanzone, which will be open on match days and on 1 August, the day before the Liverpool FC and FC Bayern Munich game. Fans will get the chance to meet club legends, giving them a once-in-a-lifetime moment with their football heroes. There will be photobooths, giveaways and performances, along with Q&A sessions with club legends. Fans can also meet the team mascots including Mighty Red of Liverpool FC and FC Bayern Munich’s Berni.
Tickets for the Singapore Festival of Football Driven by CDG Zig can be purchased at https://premier.ticketek.com.sg/shows/show.aspx?sh=SFFUM.
For more information on the event, please visit www.ticketek.com.sg.
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The schedule of the Singapore Festival of Football Driven by CDG Zig is as follows:
Day | Date | Singapore Festival of Football | Time |
Sun | 30-Jul | SFOF FanzoneLiverpool FC vs Leicester City FC | 1230 – 1730 Kick-Off: 1700 |
Tue | 1-Aug | SFOF Fanzone | 1500 – 2000 |
Wed | 2-Aug | SFOF Fanzone Liverpool FC vs FC Bayern Munich | 1500 – 2000 Kick-Off: 1930 |
Credit: Singapore Festival of Football Driven by CDG Zig