Preview: Liverpool vs Monaco - prediction, team news, lineups

Liverpool will hope to bounce back from defeat against Leeds United by getting the better of Monaco on Sunday at Anfield in their latest pre-season friendly.

The Reds were beaten 4-2 by Leeds last Sunday, the first defeat of Andoni Iraola's reign, while Monaco won 1-0 against Getafe on Thursday.

Match preview

Liverpool's first half against Leeds was excellent, with the Merseysiders taking a 2-0 lead into the break, only for second-half substitutions to significantly weaken the team and allow their opponents to score four goals after the interval.

Iraola did remark that the game was the most informative one of pre-season so far, so while losing can never be seen as a good outcome, fans will hope that the head coach can make substantive changes in order to avoid a similar result in a competitive setting.

The Reds will begin their Premier League season on August 23 against Newcastle United, and there are serious concerns about the readiness of the squad for the coming campaign given key stars like Mohamed Salah are yet to be truly replaced.

Arne Slot was sacked following the end of the 2025-26 season, with the Dutchman having guided the club to a fifth-placed finish with 60 points, and Iraola's lack of experience managing a team competing in Europe has worried some supporters.

Liverpool have scored frequently in pre-season - they have netted seven times against Sunderland, Wrexham and Leeds - but they have also conceded on six occasions.

The hosts have only lost two of their 18 most recent outings at Anfield, but they were held to six stalemates in that time, and they only won one of their final four fixtures at the ground in 2025-26 (one win, two draws, one loss).

Monaco have fallen far the highs of their 2016-17 Ligue 1 title win, with the club having finished seventh last term, their second lowest placement since their return to the top flight of French football in 2013-14.

The team's competitive campaign will begin on August 20 in the first leg of a playoff tie for a place in the Conference League, while their first Ligue 1 game will come against Le Havre three days later.

Former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luis is currently in charge of Les Rouge et Blanc, and a win on the weekend would give his side the edge in meetings with Liverpool, with the teams level on one victory each.

The visitors arrive at Anfield having won two, drawn one and lost one of their four friendlies this summer, finding the back of the net eight times while conceding six goals.

Monaco's record on the road certainly has room for improvement considering they are hoping to avoid a third consecutive loss away from home, while they are looking for their second win in six away clashes.

Liverpool friendly form:

Monaco friendly form:

Team News

Liverpool now have almost their entire squad training back on Merseyside, with Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Cody Gakpo having all been left out of the Reds' US tour.

The trio will all feature at some point on Sunday, as will new signing Victor Munoz, who returned this week following the end of his World Cup break.

There are some doubts about the fitness of Jeremy Jacquet, as well as Giovanni Leoni, and their potential absences could lead to Mor Talla Ndiaye partnering Van Dijk in the heart of the Reds' back four.

Monaco will likely field a similar starting XI to the one that played in their friendly against Getafe, with Eric Dier and and Sadibou Sane candidates to appear in the backline.

Midfielder Lamine Camara has been linked to Liverpool this summer, but he is set to lineup for the visitors alongside Pape Cabral.

Attacker Takumi Minamino has not yet recovered from a knee injury, meaning he cannot play against his former club, so expect to see a frontline that features the likes of Matthis Abline, Mathys Detourbet and Mika Biereth.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Scanlon, Ndiaye, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Nyoni, Szoboszlai; Munoz, Wirtz, Ngumoha; Isak

Monaco possible starting lineup:

Hradecky; Vanderson, Sane, Dier, Nazinho; Camara, Cabral; Abline, Golovin, Detourbet; Bieret