Crystal Palace and Liverpool prepare for Community Shield

With roughly a month to go, both Liverpool and Crystal Palace started their preseason ahead of the traditional season opener. The tickets for the Community Shield are getting more popular now the match is getting closer. In this article we look into the first preparation of both teams ahead of their clash at Wembley on the 10th of August.

Tough times for Liverpool

The summer started really well for Liverpool. After selling Trent Alexander-Arnold they quickly signed Jeremie Frimpong as a replacement. Not long after signing Frimpong they also added Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirtz to their squad. Just before the team went back to training, it all turned grey in Liverpool. Portuguese attacker Diogo Jota and his brother both died in a car crash in Spain. Jota had a lung surgery not long before, which is why he couldn’t fly back to Liverpool and went by car. This fatal incident caused a shock for his family, the football world and his club Liverpool. A big part of the Liverpool squad went to the funeral to pay its respects to both brothers. Only a few days after the funeral, training was resumed at the AXA training centre. Manager Arne Slot gave all his players the freedom to listen to their feelings about training or not. On Sunday the 13th a first preseason match was scheduled. Goals by Conor Bradley, Cody Gapko and Darwin Nunez gave Liverpool a 1-3 victory in this very emotional encounter.

Crystal Palace legal actions

Crystal Palace began their preseason preparations with a 1-0 victory over Millwall on July 12th, marking a positive start to their summer schedule. The Eagles have been busy in the transfer market, securing two key signings to strengthen their squad. Argentina goalkeeper Walter Benítez joined on a free transfer from PSV Eindhoven on July 1st, bringing Championship experience and international pedigree, while Croatia international Borna Sosa completed his move from Ajax on a three-year contract, adding quality and depth at left-back. However, Palace's European ambitions have been dealt a significant blow. Despite winning the FA Cup and initially qualifying for the Europa League, UEFA demoted Crystal Palace to the Conference League due to multi-club ownership rules involving John Textor's stakes in both Palace and Lyon. Sky Sports News understands Palace will appeal this decision via the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as they prepare for what promises to be a challenging but historic season with their first-ever major trophy and debut European campaign.