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Liverpool have confirmed that they will play friendly matches in Hong Kong and Japan during a pre-season tour of Asia this summer. Arne Slot’s side will face Italian side AC Milan in the Standard Chartered Trophy at the new 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong on July 26. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the iconic Champions League final between the clubs in Istanbul when Liverpool fought back from 3-0 down to win on penalties.
Advertisement After playing in Hong Kong, Liverpool will then travel to Japan, with the details for the second leg of the tour still being finalised. “We’re extremely excited to be returning to Asia for this summer’s pre-season tour,” Liverpool chief commercial officer Ben Latty said. “We look forward to bringing our hundreds of millions of fans in Asia closer to the club they love.
” The Athletic revealed in December that Liverpool were in talks to play two lucrative pre-season games in Hong Kong and Japan. Last year, the club signed a multi-million pound deal with Japan Airlines to become their official airline partner. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo is also the captain of Japan’s national team.
The Premier League leaders have not played in Japan since the 2005 World Club Championship final in Yokohama when Rafael Benitez’s side were beaten 1-0 by Sao Paolo. Liverpool last visited Hong Kong in the summer of 2017 when they faced Crystal Palace and Leicester City in the Premier League Asia Trophy. Last summer, they toured the United States for the first time since 2019 with games in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Columbia in South Carolina.
(Julian Finney/Getty Images).
