Saturday’s Community Shield will kick off “one of the most intense seasons” for Premier League champions Liverpool, says manager Jurgen Klopp.
The traditional Wembley season opener, against FA Cup winners Arsenal, comes just 34 days after the end of the extended league season.
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“Would I want to play a proper game after two weeks’ preparation? No,” said Jurgen Klopp.
“But it’s not a friendly, it’s a proper match against Arsenal.”
Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for a championship last month, finishing a massive 43 points above FA Cup winners Arsenal.
The Gunners have had even less time off – their FA Cup win came just four weeks ago – and Klopp expects both sides to go all out for a win.
“For us, like Arsenal, we prepare for a whole season – one of the most intense, probably, we have ever experienced in our lives because of the amount of games and the time we have for that,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said.
“It will be intense but nobody is moaning. We are happy we can play at all.
“It’s as perfect as we can be and we will try everything to win the game and Arsenal will do the same.”
This year, the women’s game will also be played at Wembley, with a 12:30 BST kick-off live on BBC One.
It is the first time the Football Association has held back-to-back Community Shield matches and it will be the first time the women’s contest takes place at Wembley.
Centre-back Virgil van Dijk will be fit despite suffering a head injury in Tuesday’s friendly against Salzburg, but right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold may not feature due to a minor injury.
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Captain Jordan Henderson, midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and defender Joel Matip all remain sidelined.
Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno is back in training after a knee injury and could start, with defender William Saliba expected to make his debut.
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