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Arne Slot looks on prior to the first pre-season friendly match between Liverpool and Athletic Club Bilbao at Anfield on August 04, 2025(Image: Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez face a race against time to be fit for Liverpool’s Community Shield clash against Crystal Palace next weekend.

The duo were absent from the Reds’ friendly double-header against Athletic Bilbao on Monday evening at Anfield, with Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker also missing.

Van Dijk was suffering from illness while Alisson is still not available having left the Far East tour last week to return to Brazil due to a personal matter.

Bradley is suffering from a minor injury while Gomez was sent back to Merseyside a few days into the trip to Hong Kong and Japan after sustaining an Achilles problem.

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And Liverpool boss Arne Slot was not optimistic about the chances of the duo making the Wembley date against Palace for the traditional season curtain-raiser next Sunday.

“Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley, it’s going to be tight,” said Slot.

We miss out on Alisson.

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“But until now we have stayed fit as we wanted to be and new signings came in so they got adjusted to what we want.”

New signings attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, left-back Milos Kerkez, right-back Jeremie Frimpong and striker Hugo Ekitike will all make their first Anfield appearances since moving to Liverpool having been named in the starting line-up for the second friendly against Bilbao.

A makeshift central defence sees Wataru Endo partner Ibrahima Konate, with Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai are at the base of the midfield.

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The attack is completed by Mohamed Salah on the right wing and Cody Gakpo on the opposite flank.

Liverpool won the first friendly 4-1 with teenager Rio Ngumoha, Darwin Nunez, Ben Doak and Harvey Elliott all scoring.

LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1): Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Endo, Konate, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike.