Alexis Mac Allister and Hugo Ekitike to miss Liverpool’s pre-season friendly with AS Monaco
Reported on 2026-08-09, Alexis Mac Allister and Hugo Ekitike will miss Liverpool’s pre-season friendly against AS Monaco; Mac Allister remains on a post-World Cup break and Ekitike is recovering from an Achilles injury.
After leading Liverpool to a fifth-place finish with 60 points at the end of the 2025–26 season, Arne Slot was fired, and supporters have expressed concern about Iraola’s lack of expertise leading a team competing in Europe. The club has used a series of pre-season fixtures to prepare for the new campaign while integrating returning players.
Liverpool have scored seven goals in pre-season matches against Sunderland, Wrexham and Leeds but have conceded six, a run the club described as underlining defensive weakness. The squad also faces questions over replacements for key departures, with the article noting that important players like Mohamed Salah have not yet been fully replaced.
Nearly the whole Liverpool first-team squad is now training back on Merseyside after a US trip from which Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Cody Gakpo were excluded. Van Dijk, Alisson and Gakpo, together with newcomer Victor Munoz who returned this week after his World Cup break, are expected to play a few minutes against AS Monaco.
Mac Allister is among the players who have yet to return from the World Cup break; the midfielder participated in the competition’s final and will be absent as he continues to relax following his extensive World Cup performance. His continued absence rules him out of the friendly against AS Monaco.
Hugo Ekitike will also miss the match after suffering an Achilles injury; he missed the World Cup and remains in recovery from the long-term problem. The club confirmed Ekitike is still recovering and will not feature in the Anfield friendly.
The friendly will take place at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, and Liverpool’s opening Premier League fixture is scheduled for August 23 against Newcastle United.
