Liverpool's pre-season will end with a double-header this weekend, where they will face Finland's HJK on Saturday and Swindon Town on Sunday. These will be the first two matches in which Rodgers will have a full squad to choose from, after the team went back to Melwood from their Asian tour.
With the start of the Premier League season just around the corner, coach Brendan Rodgers will try to work out how the team will do without Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling, who were the most notable transfers up to this day. The Reds might use these games to watch their full squad develop into the best team possible, ahead of their EPL debut against Stoke City.
Christian Benteke and Roberto Firmino, two of Liverpool's signings this summer who missed the Asian tour, will surely be given the chance to perform with the Reds against Swindon Town, since their presence against HJK was doubtful. Although Benteke's signing was criticized by most fans, Rodgers expects the physical presence and aerial game of the Belgian to be a massive contribution to the team, who lacked a high-power striker last year after Luis Suarez's departure to Barcelona.
Other doubts that will have to be sorted out by Rodgers are the back four, where Mamadou Sakho has shown he has what it takes to share the center back position with either Martin Skrtel or Dejan Lovren. Up front, Philippe Coutinho is expected to make an appearance in either game, with his possible partnership with Firmino being the most anticipated by fans. These two players have shown what they can do during the recent Copa América, and the team's supporters are expecting them to lead the Reds into a successful season.
On the other hand, Swindon Town will start their season next week against Bradford, with this game coming handy to determine which players are fit for the challenge. The League One side recently signed Laurent Robert's brother, Fabien, into a one-year loan deal from French club Lorient, and he is expected to be at least in the squad that faces Liverpool. Swindon Town has a couple of players on loan from the Reds, Jordan Williams and Brad Smith, and both of them are expected to play against their former employers.
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