Liverpool's whistle-stop European tour starts close to home

Jul 4 2008 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post

BEFORE embarking on a whistle-stop tour of five European nations in the space of three weeks, Liverpool start their 2008 pre-season programme just a Xabi Alonso long shot away from manager Rafael Benitez’s house.

Well not quite, but Tranmere Rovers’s Prenton Park ground is even closer to the Spaniard’s home in Caldy than Anfield.

The visit of their Premier League neighbours from across the Mersey is expected to produce the biggest crowd of the season for the League One side and will no doubt provide a welcome cash boost for the hosts.

The memorable cup runs that boosted Tranmere’s coffers in the not too distant past seem to have dried up in so the prospect of Benitez’s superstars playing on the Wirral is sure to lead to a full house.

Rovers, who memorably faced Liverpool in a six-goal FA Cup quarter-final thriller in 2001, eventually going down 4-2, will hope to give a good account of themselves but may have to bring in a few more new faces ahead of the game.

Gareth Edds is Moore’s only signing to date this summer while Paul McLaren, Shane Sherriff, Calvin Zola, Steve Davies and Robbie Stockdale have all departed.

Liverpool then swap Birkenhead for a Swiss training camp and will play two friendly matches in the homeland of new right-back Philipp Degen.

First up are FC Lucerne, coached by former Swiss international playmaker Ciriaco Sforza.

The club finished sixth in the 10-team Swiss Super League last season and their most notable former player for Liverpool fans is none other than Anfield’s ‘supersub’ David Fairclough.

Before packing their bags with Toblerone and watches, Liverpool face Poles Wisla Krakow in the Swiss village of Friborg.

Reigning Polish champions, Wisla, have won their domestic league five times since the turn of the 21st century.