Last update at 9 August, 2026 ⏲️ Reading time: 4 minutes
Club Friendly @ 09.08.2026
Liverpool welcome Monaco to Anfield for a high-profile pre-season friendly on Sunday, with this fixture carrying a little more significance than the usual summer warm-up. It will be Andoni Iraola's first match in charge of Liverpool at Anfield, while Monaco are entering the final stage of their preparations before a UEFA Conference League play-off. Liverpool have had a full week since their last friendly; Monaco played Getafe on Thursday and travelled to England on Saturday. For me, that difference in preparation, combined with Liverpool getting several senior players back, tilts the match towards the hosts.
Liverpool vs Monaco date, kick-off time and match details
Information | Details |
|---|---|
Match | Liverpool vs AS Monaco |
Competition | Club Friendly |
Date | Sunday 9 August 2026 |
Kick-off | 2:30pm BST |
Venue | Anfield, Liverpool |
Format | 90 minutes |
Where to watch in the UK | All Red Video, LFC app/connected TV and LFCTV |
How Liverpool and Monaco come into the match
Liverpool form
What stands out to me about Liverpool's pre-season is that there have already been clear signs of the aggressive football Iraola wants, even if the defensive structure is still a work in progress. The Reds beat Sunderland 4-2 and Wrexham 1-0 before losing 4-2 to Leeds, giving them seven goals from their three summer matches. I wouldn't read too much into the Leeds scoreline. Liverpool were 2-0 up at half-time after a strong opening 45 minutes, before four changes at the interval and a much weaker second half turned the match around. That first-half performance is more interesting for this bet than the eventual result. Squad availability should also improve. Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo are back in contention, while new signing Victor Muñoz could make his debut. Alexis Mac Allister remains unavailable following his World Cup break, and Joe Gomez, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley are among the injured players.
Monaco form
Monaco's preparation has been slightly longer and more mixed. Filipe Luís' side opened with a 5-2 win over Saint-Priest, lost 2-0 to Sporting CP, came from behind to draw 2-2 with Cercle Brugge and then beat Getafe 1-0 on Thursday. That gives them two wins, one draw and one defeat from four friendlies. The Getafe performance was encouraging defensively. Monaco were patient rather than spectacular, kept a clean sheet and eventually won through Paris Brunner's second-half penalty. Brunner's goal was already his fourth of pre-season. There is, however, one personnel change I think matters quite a lot. Maghnes Akliouche completed a move to PSG on 6 August after producing seven goals and 11 assists in 43 appearances for Monaco last season. Removing that level of creativity from the attacking midfield should not be ignored when assessing Monaco's threat at Anfield. Paul Pogba is included in Monaco's travelling squad for England.
Key factors behind my Liverpool vs Monaco prediction
1. Liverpool's first-half intensity
The first 45 minutes against Leeds were probably Liverpool's most revealing passage of the summer. Iraola's team pressed aggressively, moved the ball quickly and went into the interval 2-0 ahead. Most of the damage came after the break following substantial rotation. That is particularly relevant to my more aggressive bet below.
2. Senior Liverpool players are returning
There is a considerable difference between the Liverpool side that toured the United States and the group Iraola can now begin integrating at Anfield. Alisson, Van Dijk and Gakpo are available again, with Muñoz also pushing for minutes. I expect Liverpool's starting XI to be noticeably stronger than some of the combinations used earlier in pre-season.
3. Rest and travel favour Liverpool
Liverpool last played on 2 August, leaving seven days between fixtures. Monaco faced Getafe on 6 August, then flew to England on Saturday 8 August ahead of Sunday's game. In a competitive fixture I would only give this a modest weighting. In pre-season, when conditioning levels and substitutions can have an exaggerated impact during the final half-hour, I think it becomes more important.
4. Monaco have just lost a major creator
Akliouche contributed 18 goals and assists last season before moving to PSG this week. Monaco still possess attacking quality through players such as Mika Biereth, Folarin Balogun, Ansu Fati, Aleksandr Golovin and new arrival Matthis Abline, but replacing Akliouche's creativity immediately is another matter.
5. The price on Liverpool is still playable
The latest best prices I found have Liverpool at 3/5, with the draw at 7/2 and Monaco at 9/2. A price of 3/5 implies a raw probability of 62.5% before accounting for the bookmaker margin. Given the venue, additional rest and returning Liverpool players, I have the hosts a little shorter than that myself. There isn't a huge edge, but I still see enough to back them.
Liverpool vs Monaco statistics
Statistic | Liverpool | Monaco |
|---|---|---|
Pre-season matches | 3 | 4 |
Record | 2W-0D-1L | 2W-1D-1L |
Goals scored | 7 | 8 |
Goals conceded | 6 | 6 |
Average goals scored | 2.33 | 2.00 |
Both teams scored | 2/3 | 2/4 |
Over 2.5 goals | 2/3 | 2/4 |
Clean sheets | 1 | 1 |
Days since previous match | 7 | 3 |
The attacking numbers are fairly similar, but I think the context is more revealing than the totals themselves. Liverpool have scored in all three of their friendlies and have twice hit four goals, while Monaco's five-goal performance came against lower-level Saint-Priest. Monaco deserve credit for shutting out Getafe, but Liverpool represent a significant increase in attacking quality. The other number I keep coming back to is the rest differential: Liverpool have had a complete training week, whereas Monaco are playing just three days after their previous friendly and immediately after travelling to England.