Liverpool: Why did Arne Slot’s side play two pre-season games in a day?

Liverpool, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace all played double-header friendlies as they ramp up their preparations for the upcoming season.

The Premier League champions faced Athletic Bilbao twice on Monday, giving Arne Slot the opportunity to play his entire squad for as many minutes as possible.

A total of 32 players featured as Liverpool rotated heavily between matches as they build up to the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.

In the first game, Alexis Mac Allister featured for an hour and Darwin Nunez played 80 minutes, with the Uruguay striker finding the net in a 4-1 win.

Slot then named a different starting XI and bench for the second match as Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Hugo Ekitike made their home debuts in a 3-2 victory.

Fans could see back-to-back matches for the price of one match ticket, but weren’t permitted to leave and re-enter the stadium between games.