Liverpool’s preseason, and the era of Andoni Iraola, begins in the United States with a friendly against Sunderland on Saturday.
In the club’s first fixture since sacking Arne Slot at the end of May, the Reds will be tasked with getting a handle on Iraola’s demanding style in the humidity of Nashville against a Sunderland side which enjoyed a dramatically different 2025–26 campaign.
While Liverpool lamented the rise of direct play, long throws and set pieces, Sunderland thrived in the new Premier League landscape. The Black Cats climbed all the way up to seventh place at the end of a stunning season back in England’s top flight after eight years away. Régis Le Bris’s side opened up their preparations for a new campaign with a 5–1 rout of York City.
