Liverpool Football Club’s Friday evening exhibition at Acrisure Stadium vs. Real Betis will serve as an early measuring stick for the club, which kicks off a three-game North American preseason tour.

The eyes of soccer fans around the globe will be on Pittsburgh as new Liverpool coach Arne Slot, who replaced the legendary Jurgen Klopp this summer, looks to pick up his first victory with the club.

Liverpool’s Slot Era got off to a less-than-triumphant start July 19, when Preston, which competes in the second-tier English EFL Championship, handed the Premier League club a 1-0 exhibition defeat.

Granted, Liverpool was missing several key players (who also will be absent Friday) because of participation in tournaments such as Copa America and Euro 2024.

With Liverpool settled in Pittsburgh and two more friendlies on the horizon July 31 in Philadelphia vs. Arsenal and Aug. 3 in South Carolina against Manchester United, Slot is ready to see what his club can do against tough opposition.

“I think it’s always important to have games where you get a lot of resistance,” Slot said Thursday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side. “Coming over here, we have a lot of strong opponents to play against. I think that shows you weaknesses you have as a team and if you’re already competitive to start the (Premier) League in a few weeks. That’s one of the advantages of coming over here that we face three tough opponents.”

Without stars such as goalkeeper Alisson Becker, defender Virgil van Dijk, forward Darwin Nunez and a host of others, Liverpool’s lineup at Acrisure Stadium will differ significantly from what it fields Aug. 17 when Premier League play opens up vs. Ipswich.

However, Friday should offer Slot an opportunity to evaluate younger players fighting for spots and roles as the regular season nears.

“The positives about that are that it is an important lifeline of the club, youngsters coming to the team,” Slot said. “It’s an ideal way for seeing them in these weeks where they get more playing time.

“… Many young players joined this year, as well, and there are a few that surprised me, in a positive way, of course.”

How Slot, who brings 208 games of coaching experience from 2019-24 within the Eredivisie, the Netherlands’ top professional soccer league, differs from Klopp in terms of tactical approach to the game, is of much interest to Liverpool fans.

On that front, Friday might offer some clues.

“Many things will stay the same when it comes to playing style, but, of course, there will be a few adjustments because every manager has his own ideas,” Slot said. “But general playing style will probably look quite familiar for you guys.”

Curtis Jones, a 23-year-old midfielder who came up through Liverpool’s youth system before debuting for the club in 2018, has enjoyed getting to work under Slot and his new coaches.

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— The Redmen TV (@TheRedmenTV) July 25, 2024

With 86 Premier League appearances heading into this season, the youthful veteran likes how things have gotten underway with Liverpool’s new regime.

“He’s amazing actually,” Jones said of Slot. “I’ve said it a lot: It’s probably the happiest I’ve been I think in terms of a style of play that suits me and the lads we have on our team. It’s a clear plan. The training and staff is fully involved. He coaches us a lot and he’s big on the finer details and things.”

Liverpool and Real Betis, which plays in Spain’s top-tier La Liga, have not faced one another since 2005.

As far as preparation this week in Pittsburgh, Slot has had his club looking inward.

That said, he and his staff anticipate a tall task in Real Betis, game planning for which will assume more of a center stage soon.

“It’s mostly preparing our own team,” Slot said. “But part of preparing your own team is also preparing them for what they can expect (Friday). What kind of press the opponent gives and how we then want to play out from the back. How they want to build up and how we have to press them.

“I think until now, we’ve worked on our own ideas and (Friday) we’ll have a meeting where I’m going to share with them what they can expect from Betis.”

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