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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Andy Hunter

Liverpool’s mourning players prepare to honour Diogo Jota back on the pitch

The sea of tributes to Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva outside Anfield
The sea of tributes to Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva outside Anfield continues to grow as fans and players pay tribute. Photograph: Peter Powell/EPA

Outside Anfield, the red sea of tributes to Diogo Jota and André Silva has continued to grow this week along with questions over whether Liverpool could play at Preston on Sunday, their first game since the brothers’ tragic loss. Inside Anfield, and specifically a grieving Liverpool dressing room, there was no major debate over the pre-season friendly. The Premier League champions intend to honour their teammate in the best way they know how.

It will be only 10 days since the deaths of Jota and Silva when Liverpool appear at Deepdale for what is certain to be a hugely emotional occasion, and less than two days since the club retired Jota’s No 20 shirt. There was no pressure on Liverpool to honour a friendly that could have been cancelled easily – unlike their commitment to a tour of Hong Kong and Japan at the end of the month – but at no point was that option relayed to Preston.

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