Arne Slot makes Jurgen Klopp joke over first Liverpool fixture amid 'special' prediction

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has reacted to his first match in charge being put in the dreaded early kick-off slot. The Premier League announced last week that the Reds would play Ipswich Town on Saturday, August 17.

The trip to Portman Road will mark the beginning of the new era at Liverpool though the Reds will have played against Real Betis, Manchester United and Arsenal in the USA before then. Slot's first home match is then against Brentford.

"They've told me [the Ipswich game is] going to be 12.30… from what I know, Jurgen [Klopp] complained a lot about this so probably they thought, with Jurgen being out let's put them at 12.30 again!" he joked with Liverpool's official website.

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"No, it's different to a normal 12.30 because it's not after a game in Europe. Looking forward to it. A promoted team so it's going to be special for them as well. I think every team might prefer a home game to start with, but we're going to face Ipswich and we are looking forward to that."

In his first five matches in charge, Slot will be at home against Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth and away at Ipswich and Manchester United. "I remember it being special at Feyenoord and I'm expecting it to be really special here in Liverpool as well," Slot added when asked about how much he is looking forward to his first Anfield game.

"But like I said, the first thing I'm going to look at is the first training session we have and then afterwards all the sessions that come after and games we will play. We have to take this really seriously to be the best possible team we can be at the first game at Ipswich and the second game, the home game against Brentford.

"I think everybody would tell you in football you go game by game, and the first and most important one is Ipswich. But if I say this and the players would listen to this, they would get the wrong impression of me, because the friendly games are really important for us to be in the best possible position for the Ipswich game."

Liverpool.com says: The decent-looking start to the season for Liverpool could be a big advantage for Slot. If the Reds can get off to a strong start next season, the momentum could quickly build. While there will be a transition period, the squad is already looking good and begins from a really good starting point.