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HD Liverpool pre-season tour Hong KongGetty

Inside Liverpool's pre-season tour: Downpours, training disappointment and a packed diary

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✅ Streams roughly 175 exclusive live matches per season that are completely blacked out on traditional TV.

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✅ Carries both USA Network and your local NBC station, ensuring you get every nationally televised match.

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Exclusive Streaming Home
peacock logo image for promo

Peacock Premium

✅ Streams roughly 175 exclusive live matches per season that are completely blacked out on traditional TV.

✅ Acts as the league's US archive, providing full on-demand match replays shortly after every live broadcast concludes.

✅ Streams the popular "Goal Rush" whip-around show, which jumps between live highlights during the packed Saturday 10:00 a.m. ET window.


Monthly from$12.99
Budget Cord-Cutter
Sling Blue Promo Panel logo

Sling TV

✅ Provides nationwide access to USA Network, securing the primary cable home for the league's linear broadcasts.

✅ Includes access to live, local NBC affiliates for the marquee weekend matches in designated major media markets. 

✅ Serves as the cheapest way to access live cable TV sports channels without paying for a bloated traditional bundle.


Monthly from$45.99
Premium Cable Alternative
DirecTV

DirecTV

✅ Carries both USA Network and your local NBC station, ensuring you get every nationally televised match.

✅ Includes unlimited cloud DVR storage so you can easily record and save early morning fixtures.

✅ Replicates the classic set-top box feel with a familiar channel guide, making it easy to channel-surf on weekend mornings.


Over 28 months$79.99
Exclusive Streaming Home
peacock logo image for promo

Peacock Premium

✅ Streams roughly 175 exclusive live matches per season that are completely blacked out on traditional TV.

✅ Acts as the league's US archive, providing full on-demand match replays shortly after every live broadcast concludes.

✅ Streams the popular "Goal Rush" whip-around show, which jumps between live highlights during the packed Saturday 10:00 a.m. ET window.


Monthly from$12.99

PRE-SEASON DIARY

In the haze of the neon lights through a thick screen of torrential downpour, the streets of Kowloon are still stacked with animation at 1am.

There are people eating at food markets off Nathan Road sheltered under makeshift marquees, others getting their shopping done, and countless still on the clock. On a Monday night!

Get odds on Liverpool to beat Watford

Jordan Henderson Liverpool pre-season tourGetty

Liverpool, too, were in go-go-go mode on day one of their pre-season tour of Hong Kong. Having arrived mid-morning following a 13-hour flight to check in at the grand Ritz-Carlton, there was little time to appreciate the panoramic views of Victoria Harbour from the world’s highest hotel. 

Then: bang, bang, bang. There was the New Balance third kit reveal, which featured Philippe Coutinho, Simon Mignolet, Roberto Firmino, James Milner and Adam Lallana in ‘bold citrus.’ 

A partnership with Falken Tyres was announced with Daniel Sturridge, Mohamed Salah, Joel Matip and Nathaniel Clyne featuring alongside CEO Peter Moore and Billy Hogan, the club’s chief commercial officer and managing director.

At a Carlsberg event in Stormies bar, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Ragnar Klavan did the moves to Night Fever - or tried to anyway.

The Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital was visited by 14 of the 25-man travelling squad, who played a host of games with the delighted kids.

In the evening, Coutinho, Henderson and Firmino accompanied Jurgen Klopp to the Premier League’s welcome reception for the Asia Trophy, which was attended by representatives from Leicester, Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion as well at the Grant Hyatt in Wan Chai. 

The Reds contingent didn’t stay long owing to training commitments, but frustratingly, the original plan for the team’s first session was wrecked by the punishing rain.

"The weather is not perfect for pre-season training," Klopp admitted. "Yes, we come from England and are used to rain, but yesterday was too much and so we couldn’t go out to train, we had to do what we could do. Today, hopefully, we can train because it’s important for rhythm and things like this.

John Barnes, Sami Hyypia and Gary McAllister remained to converse with the guests as did Liverpool’s chief executive.

HD Fowler Rush Liverpool pre-season

At the same time, fellow legends Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler were part of a Q&A with the official Hong Kong supporters' club at Grappas Cellar.

The excellent Vicky Jepson, meanwhile, assisted the Premier League with a community programme, continuing throughout the week, to educate PE teachers on how to properly facilitate football coaching for kids.

The Liverpool Ladies coach, who works with the development squad, the girls’ centre of excellence as well as for LFC Foundation, is helping to steer them away from a “militant approach” to understanding that children need freedom as well as responsibility to really develop.

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In-between the main commitments for the first team, there were also photo calls, interviews, commercial videos, and autograph-signing sessions.

Liverpool have done a lot to guard against jet lag, including staying on tour time - four hours behind the local clock - and keeping the squad awake with a ‘Last Man Standing’ challenge as well as a rock-paper-scissors battle in order for them to have a solid sleeping pattern.

Given the amount they had to power through during their opening day in Hong Kong, though, I doubt getting enough shut-eye was a problem for anyone.

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