Liverpool lineup vs. Sunderland: Predicted XI for pre-season friendly as Andoni Iraola tests squad in first game as manager

Liverpool will kick off the Andoni Iraola era on Saturday, with a pre-season friendly against Premier League rivals Sunderland at Nashville's GEODIS Park.

The Reds will not be at their strongest given that a number of players are absent from the squad for their tour of the United States, including Alexis Mac Allister and summer signing Victor Munoz, both of whom reached the World Cup final.

Giorgi Mamardashvili looks set to start in goal with Alisson Becker staying on Merseyside to train separately, leaving Freddie Woodman - who recently signed a contract extension - on the bench.

New arrival Jeremy Jacquet could join Joe Gomez at centre-back on Saturday, while Virgil van Dijk is away from the squad and fellow centre-half Giovanni Leoni is recovering from the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered on his debut in September 2025.

Calvin Ramsay could be handed a rare start at right-back given the injury to Conor Bradley, and Milos Kerkez is a shoo-in on the left side of the defence having flourished under Iraola at Bournemouth.

Ryan Gravenberch is set to link up with the group next week and will miss this game, while Wataru Endo is closing in on a comeback from a major ankle injury, so fans may see Curtis Jones and Trey Nyoni start in a double pivot.

In a similar vein, Florian Wirtz will join the Liverpool contingent after the Sunderland clash, though Harvey Elliott should be on hand to start as part of an attacking trio alongside Dominik Szoboszlai and Rio Ngumoha behind the lone striker.

Following the pattern of absences, Sweden centre-forward Alexander Isak will be linking up with Liverpool after this friendly, while Hugo Ekitike is sidelined with an Achilles injury, offering an opportunity for 18-year-old Will Wright to lead the line on Saturday.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Mamardashvili; Ramsay, Gomez, Jacquet, Kerkez; Nyoni, Jones; Szoboszlai, Elliott, Ngumoha; Wright