Liverpool 'to face Manchester United and Crystal Palace' in pre-season

Liverpool are set to face Crystal Palace and rivals Manchester United in pre-season friendlies held in the Far East, according to reports.

Jurgen Klopp's side are said to be in talks, which are at an advanced stage, to travel to Thailand and Singapore in July. 

The Reds are planning to play United in Bangkok on July 12 and then face Palace in Singapore three days later, according to The Athletic.

After their clash against Liverpool, Patrick Vieira's side will reportedly travel to Australia to face United. 

Liverpool will also reportedly begin their preparations for the 2022-23 season at a training camp in either France or Austria. 

The clubs are yet to sign contracts but The Athletic's report suggests that an official announcement will be made in March, once the details have been locked down. 

United and Liverpool were hoping to face each other during last year's pre-season but the protests at Old Trafford, which led to the postponement of their league game last season, causing the plans to be scrapped.

Premier League sides have been unable to embark on global pre-season tours the last two years in the wake of the pandemic but they will be hoping that with the easing of restrictions they can resume business as normal this summer. 

Mohamed Salah and co headed to Austria last summer where they faced Austrian Second Division outfit FC Wacker Innsbruck and German Bundesliga side Stuttgart in two 30-minute 'mini-games'. 

They later played Mainz and Hertha Berlin before moving to Evian, France where they beat Bologna. 

Both United and Liverpool have large followings in Asia and their showdown is set to attract large crowds, while Palace's pre-season is seen as a chance to raise the London side's profile on the global stage. 

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