Several of Liverpool’s stars were in attendance on Friday night, each enjoying varying success in their World Cup qualifiers. Summer signing Florian Wirtz put in a strong performance as Germany defeated Luxembourg 10-a-side at the PreZero Arena. Although the Liverpool midfielder did not score or assist, he was an important player for Julian Nagelsmann and was prolific.
The 22-year-old former Bayer Leverkusen star was heavily involved in much of Germany’s play as a forward, creating four chances for his team-mates and hitting the post with a well-taken free-kick. Meanwhile, Hugo Ekitike, making his first start for France, set up Kylian Mbappé’s opening goal with an impressive performance against Azerbaijan. The Liverpool forward played 79 minutes and was replaced by Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta.
France international Ibrahima Konate was on the bench after being injured during last weekend’s match between Liverpool and Chelsea. However, his inclusion in the squad suggests his quadriceps issues will keep him sidelined for long.
But despite leading Northern Ireland to victory over Slovakia as former captains, it wasn’t all good news for Conor Bradley and Alexander Isak.
Bradley had a commendable performance, completing the most dribbles on the pitch and inviting the most fouls, but he was penalized for a tackle in the second half and was suspended.
The Liverpool defender has been racked up with yellow cards recently and will be suspended for Monday’s game against Northern Ireland and Germany.
Meanwhile, Isak played the full 90 minutes for Sweden, which is a positive sign as he continues to get back into the game, but the Scandinavian side suffered a setback in their hopes of qualifying for the United States, Canada and Mexico with a 2-0 home loss to Switzerland.
Goals from Granit Xhaka and Johan Manzambi left Sweden at the bottom of their World Cup qualifying group. They are halfway through the qualifying stage and have only gained one point from three games.
Despite having talented players such as Isak and Viktor Gökeres, Sweden currently lags behind Slovenia and Kosovo in the standings and is trying to catch up.
Jan Dahl Tomassen’s side face huge pressure ahead of Monday’s game against Kosovo, but Isak is expected to return to action having improved since the previous international break, when he was underused.
Liverpool will resume their Premier League match against Manchester United on Sunday for the first time in a week, with Slott’s side looking to bounce back from three straight defeats in all competitions.
Argentina’s Alexis Mac Allister could soon face Venezuela in a friendly in Florida, while Hungary, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkes, and Georgia, with Giorgi Mamadashvili, are both scheduled to play on Saturday.
