Reds travel to Ipswich in Arne Slot’s first Premier League game

The fixtures for the 2024-25 Premier League season have been released, and promoted Ipswich Town await Arne Slot in his first competitive game as LFC’s new head coach.

The countdown to the new Premier League season begins now, with Liverpool Football Club travelling to face Ipswich Town FC at Portman Road.

Arne Slot’s first competitive game in charge of the Reds will see his new side travel to Portman Road to face the Tractor Boys for the first time since the 2001-02 season.

Slot will be hoping that his side can reproduce the same kind of performance as the last time LFC visited Ipswich.

The Reds came away from Portman Road with a 6-0 win in February 2002, with Abel Xavier scoring on his debut and further goals from Emile Heskey (2), Sami Hyypia and Michael Owen (2).

Kick-off against Kieran McKenna’s will take place at 12.30pm on Saturday August 17, with the match to be shown live in the UK and Ireland on TNT Sports.

The first home match of the season will take place against Brentford FC at Anfield on the weekend of Saturday 24 August, with the mouth-watering prospect of a visit to Old Trafford to face Manchester United FC one week later.

You’ll find all of Liverpool FC’s fixtures for the season here, with some changes due to TV coverage to be announced in due course.

Before all that, there’s the small matter of the UEFA European Championships, with a number of Reds in action for their countries over a busy summer.

Cody Gakpo shone in the Netherlands’ 2-1 win over Poland, scoring the equaliser for Ronald Koeman’s side, which was captained by our own Virgil van Dijk.

At 23, Dominik Szoboszlai became the youngest captain in the history of the championships for Hungary but the Reds’ midfielder was unable to prevent his side from succumbing to a 3-1 defeat to Switzerland. This was despite providing an assist for Barnabas Varga to make it 2-1 in the second half.

Trent Alexander-Arnold started in midfield as England secured a 1-0 win over Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, with Joe Gomez on the bench, while Ibrahima Konaté was also named among the substitutes for France’s 1-0 victory over Austria on Monday evening.

Andy Robertson’s Scotland were beaten 5-1 by Germany in the tournament opener on Friday night.

On Tuesday night Diogo Jota came off the bench to help Portugal start Group F with a 2-1 win over Czechia after coming from a goal down. Jota had a late winner disallowed after a VAR check before Francisco Conceicao netted a stoppage time winner.

Reds young stopper Vitezslav Jaros was an unused substitute for Czechia.

In South America, Luis Diaz both scored and assisted as Colombia warmed up for the Copa America with a 3-0 win over Bolivia in Connecticut, while Alexis Mac Allister started Argentina’s 4-1 friendly win over Guatemala.

Meanwhile, Conor Bradley has been reflecting on his breakthrough season as a mainstay of the Liverpool FC first team squad.

The 20-year-old – who scored twice for Northern Ireland against Andorra in a 2-0 friendly victory last week – made 23 appearances during Jürgen Klopp’s final season as manager, catching the eye with a number of superb performances at right-back in the second half of the campaign.

Bradley’s talent is matched only by his ambition, and he is determined to push on further under the club’s new Dutch boss.

"It was probably a disappointing end to the season, we wanted more than one cup, but it was a brilliant season on a personal note. All my dreams came true in the past 12 months,” said the youngster.

"It's been special and onwards to next season. We want to keep getting better and keep improving."

On the prospect of working with Slot, he added, "I'm looking forward to it.

"Obviously there are going to be massive changes within the club. There will be new ideas and fresh faces, and hopefully it will go well and we can get off to a good start."

Finally, former LFC captain and manager Graeme Souness has been made a CBE in the King’s Birthday Honours list in the UK.

Souness has been recognised for his services to football and charity, having become a vice-president for DEBRA UK, a charity that supports those with the rare skin disease epidermolysis bullosa (EB).

Souness began working with the organisation in 2019 and last year completed a swim across the English Channel that raised more than £1.5 million to help it clinically test existing medication that could improve the quality of life for people with the condition.

"I am delighted and humbled to receive this honour," the 71-year-old said.

"It has been a life-changing few years working so closely with DEBRA UK as vice-president and none more so than this last year when I was part of a great team, swimming the English Channel to raise vital funds and awareness for DEBRA UK and EB.

"It is wonderful that the King has honoured me with a CBE and it is important to acknowledge the whole team which works tirelessly to find solutions to the intolerable pain, itch and inflammation of this horrendous condition.

"This is for my friend Isla and everyone else living with EB."