Rivals in Red — All you need to know ahead of Liverpool vs Arsenal at Lincoln Financial Field

On Wednesday, July 31, two of the biggest names in the sport of soccer will face off in a pre-season friendly at Lincoln Financial Field.

The meeting at The Linc between Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side, coming off a 2023 campaign where they missed de-crowning Manchester City by 5 points, and a Liverpool team going into it’s first season without Jürgen Klopp at the helm, is just one stop across the United States for a plethora of European teams spending their pre-season stateside.

And with a pretty big tournament coming to the States in the summer of 2026, these pre-season tours might give a small glimpse into how World Cup matches will operate in American cities two summers from now.

Here’s everything you need to know for the Rivals in Red festivities in Philadelphia this week.

Available players

Pre-Season rosters are often missing some big names you’d expect to see come Matchday 1, especially during a summer coming off a major tournament like the Euros. That being said, both teams are looking to have successful pre-seasons as they look to turn the page in 2025 — Liverpool kicking off their new era under Arne Slot, and Arsenal looking to finally make it over the hump and win the League for the first time in over 2 decades. Here’s who both teams will have available for Wednesday night’s friendly.

 

Liverpool

Goalkeepers: Davies, Jars, Kelleher, Pitaluga

Defenders: Beck, Bradley, Chambers, Nallo, Phillips, Quansah, Tsimikas, Van den Berg

Midfielders: Bajcetic, Endo, Elliott, Nyoni, Morton, Stephenson, Szoboszlai

Forwards: Blair, Carvalho, Gordon, Jota, Koumas, Salah

Not involved in training (7/29): Doak, Jones, McConnell, Neon, Robertson

 

Arsenal

Goalkeepers: Hein, Nygaard, Rojas, Setford

Defenders: Gabriel, Heaven, Kiwior, Nichols, Reikik, Timber, White, Zinchenki

Midfielders: Gower, Havertz, Jorginho, Lewis-Skelly, Martinelli, Nwaneri, Odegaard, Oulad M’Hand, Partey, Rosiak, Smith Rowe, Vieira

Forwards: Jesus, Nketiah, Nelson, Sage Jr, Trossard

 

Training sessions

Liverpool had an open training session at Lincoln Finical Field on Sunday morning, providing a chance to get a closer look at the venue for Wednesday’s pre-season friendly, as well as a future 2026 World Cup location as well.

Local fans and media watched intently, as curiosity around Liverpool’s style under new manager Arne Slot continues to unfold in pre-season preparations. I was impressed with how involved Slot was with his players, first spending time on the Right Wing with Mo Salah, and making his way around the field having little convos with some of the younger players like Fabio Carvalho Harvey Blair.

New manager or not, one thing that’s likely to stay the same at Anfield this season is Mo Salah and his impeccable form. The man must like hearing fans cheer for him, because he wasn’t shy about taking every shot he could in training Sunday morning, including a near post left-footed banger from outside the box.

After training, Philly Sports Network had a chance to speak with a few players as they were heading to their bus. With Liverpool still piecing together a new look under Arne Slot, Harvey Elliott used just 2 words to describe the difference between the new Liverpool manager’s style and Klopp’s “Heavy Metal Football” — “very elegant.”

Pre-game festivities on July 31

Liverpool Tailgate at Lincoln Financial Field – 2:30 p.m.

OLSC will be hosting a BYOB tailgate in the lots of Lincoln Financial Field starting at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. At 4:30 p.m., the group will gather and march to the stadium together hoisting LFC banners, flags, and scarves. Once inside The Linc, an LFC fanzone will be available for fans to check out prior to kick-off, giving fans plenty of time to hang out, grab some food or a drink, meet up with other fans, and find their seat before at 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

Arsenal Tailgate at Xfinity Live! – 5 p.m.

Arsenal fans will be congregating inside Xfiniy Live! pre-match on Wednesday afternoon – which might be smart given the forecast for the night.

Tickets to Rivals in Red

Rumor is, the pre-season friendly on Wednesday night is selling pretty well. But if you’re reading this article and feeling a bit of FOMO for not having tickets yet, you’ve still got some time. Both general on-sale tickets and re-sale through various platforms are available for Wednesday night’s match at The Linc. For tickets, visit ticketmaster.com/event/0200604FEDFA66EE