Liverpool braced for hugely emotional fixture against Preston in first game back since tragic Diogo Jota car crash
When the opening pre-season fixture against Preston was announced, it was anticipated it would be a joyous affair and the first opportunity for fans to see the newly-crowned Premier League champions.
The fixture at Deepdale, however, will be a totally different occasion after Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, were killed in an accident in Northern Spain on July 3.
A minute's silence will be observed before kick-off at 3pm and digital tributes will be displayed on the screen and across pitch side LEDs. Both sets of players will wear black armbands.
Preston's team will lay a wreath in front of the away end and You'll Never Walk Alone will be sung ahead of the game for the brothers. Liverpool retired Jota's Number 20 shirt after consulting with his widow, Rute, and his family.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
25 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
How Wimbledon hero Andy Murray could enter qualifying for The Open – but must pay £200 fee
ANDY MURRAY could qualify for golf's Open Championship next year. The two-time Wimbledon champion retired from tennis last summer after a legendary career. 3 Andy Murray could try and qualify for next year's Open Credit: Alamy But since hanging up his racquet, he has dusted off his golf clubs instead. And he has enjoyed a stunning year on the course by getting his handicap down to a reported 1.9. Murray, 38, shows not signs of slowing down in his pursuit of getting to scratch. He beat Carlos Alcaraz in their three-match mini-series during the Spaniard's run to the Wimbledon final. READ MORE ON THE OPEN HARRY PUTTER Thomas tries casting spell on ball in desperate attempt to nail birdie putt And if he can get his handicap to 0.4 - and stump up the £200 fee - he could enter regional qualifying for next year's 154th Open at Royal Birkdale. Ex-Premier League footballers Jimmy Bullard and Peter Odemwingie both gave it a go in 2025 but did not progress. But Ryder Cup hero Ludvig Aberg threw his full support behind Murray's golf game. The Swede, 25, said: "He brings it up really nicely with the hands. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS "The club face is quite neutral, so it's not going to be biased whether he hits a draw or a fade. "Considering it's someone who played tennis at this level, it's pretty stinking good. Awkward moment fart noise stuns Open commentators into silence before pair burst out laughing "In any sport or any profession, whether it's golf or tennis or something else, you need to spend time on it. "The technique of golf is quite tricky, naturally, so you do need to spend a lot of time on it." Aberg - who shot a four-under 67 to move to -2 after round two of The Open - added to the Daily Mail: "Hey, that swing was really good! Like it was really, really good! "Man, I was impressed! "They told us to be as honest as we can but I just didn't know what to say. "I think he's going to be able to play really good golf in the future." 3 Ludvig Aberg was singing Murray's praises after watching his swing Credit: Getty
Scottish Sun
25 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
‘We were hurting, we weren't good enough… but Euro win was best night of my life', says Spurs star Pape Matar Sarr
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TOTTENHAM'S heroes were hurting on the road to their first trophy in 17 long painful years. Mocked, doubted, and labelled bottlers for too long, the Spurs squad had seen it all. 11 Sarr played 36 league games for Spurs last season and admits their domestic form was hurting Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 11 But says winning the Europa League topped it all Credit: Getty 11 The 22-year-old started and last 90 minutes in the Europa League final in Bilbao Credit: Getty But once they sniffed a real shot at silverware, they made a vow to change the narrative. But make no mistake, this wasn't about sacrificing the Premier League form for a taste of glory in Europe. The Lilywhites slumped to a dismal 17th in the Prem meaning lifting their first European trophy in 41 years was not going to be enough to save Ange Postecoglou's job. But midfield dynamo Pape Sarr, who started in that magical night in Bilbao before being subbed off in stoppage time, revealed how deeply the league form cut and just how much that Europa League meant. In an exclusive interview with The Sun, the Tottenham star said: 'Everyone thinks we sacrificed the league for the Europa League but believe me, we wanted to be good in the league too. 'We were hurting when we lost games, it had nothing to do with playing in Europe. "Everyone gave everything to change our league form but if I'm honest, we just weren't good enough in the league. "But winning the Europa League, that was really something special.' BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Sarr is the latest success story from Spurs' long-term model, following in the footsteps of Dele Alli, who arrived from MK Dons for peanuts and became a Premier League superstar. The North London club took a gamble signing him from Metz and now he's bossing it in midfield and forever etched in club folklore for that historic win in Bilbao. Destiny Udogie appears to accidentally leak new Tottenham tactic with Spurs stars 'auditioning' in pre-season And when he speaks, you feel the fire, you feel the passion and you see what it means to him. Sarr is eager to speak about the Europa League final even before he's asked about it again. He recalls memories from that night in Bilbao: 'It was the greatest night of my life. 'When I turned my back to the game at the end, I was just praying. Thinking about how hard the season was for all of us, for the fans, and for our families. Everyone gave everything to change our league form but if I'm honest, we just weren't good enough in the league. Pape Matar Sarr 'The road to the final. The people who doubted us, the injuries, the meetings,the belief we built. To do it together was just amazing. 'Those emotions, seeing everyone, the people you grind with every day, finally get their reward. That's why we play football.' The scenes after were wild, Spurs threw a massive parade in between their final league games, they knew what that trophy meant to their long-suffering supporters. The club flipped the script. No more 'Spursy.' No more jokes, just the glory that comes with daring. 11 Sarr says Tottenham must now go on and create a winning culture Credit: Reuters 11 Tottenham signed Sarr when he was only 18 from Metz Credit: Rex 11 Spurs won only 11 games in the League last season Credit: Reuters Tottenham ratings: Bissouma dominates Europa League final as occasion gets to Udogie BRENNAN JOHNSON was Tottenham's hero as they finally ended their 17-year trophy drought in the Europa League final. Despite being without James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski for the clash in Bilbao, Spurs came up with a massive win against Manchester United. Johnson scored the goal as he helped bundle in from a corner in a tussle with Luke Shaw to send fans into dreamland. But Spurs also owe a huge thanks to Yves Bissouma who was totally dominant in midfield. At the other end, Destiny Udogie struggled to get up to the pace of the match as he was up against Manchester United's Amad Diallo. Spurs had just three shots, only 27 per cent of the ball, and completed a mere 115 passes over 90 minutes. But it didn't matter, as United never really looked like finding a leveller to take it to extra time. SunSport's Henry Tomlinson gave his ratings for the Tottenham players… But Sarr insists the job isn't done. 'We've only won one trophy so I won't say we've changed anything yet. What we want now is to win again this season. 'Tottenham is massive. We're one of the top 15 clubs in the world, we've got to build a winning culture and keep going. "Last season was special, but why not go and win more?.' Winning creates a certain level of expectation. The triumph in Bilbao means Champions League football is back in North London. Those emotions, seeing everyone, the people you grind with every day, finally get their reward. That's why we play football. Pape Matar Sarr That means bigger nights, bigger names, and bigger expectations, but Sarr says another domestic disaster is not an option and European experience should not be an excuse. He added: 'If you win a trophy, it's always amazing, even if you've done it before, it's still special. So imagine winning it for the first time. 'The dressing room that night in Bilbao was buzzing but we all immediately knew we had to build on it and fix what went wrong.' One man who's guided this new Spurs spirit is captain Son Heung-min, whose future hangs in the balance, just the mention of Son's name brought a smile to Sarr's face. He doesn't let me finish the question before jumping in:'Listen, Sonny is like Mr Nice! Everyone who joins the club, he's there helping you. 11 Sarr says Son is more than just a club captain Credit: Getty 11 Sarr and Spurs will hope they can go on and win even more trophies Credit: AFP 11 'But for me? He's the best person I've met in my career. From day one, the amount of help he's given me has been unbelievable. 'He asks me about my holidays, checks in on what I've been doing — all just to understand me better and help me improve. 'And yeah, Bissouma too, he brings energy, good vibes but Sonny? He helps all of us. A true captain.' Now Sarr is ready for the next chapter under new gaffer Thomas Frank, who replaces Postecoglou and takes charge of a squad desperate to go one better. A clean slate, a new challenge but the same dream. He concluded: 'I'm looking forward to going back to work, meeting the new manager and my teammates. 'And hopefully, we can do something really special things together.' 11 The Senegalese has developed into a box-to-box midfielder since moving to Spurs Credit: Getty
Daily Mirror
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Arsenal icon backs new signing to shrug off price tag pressure after record £1m move
Olivia Smith has become the first £1m footballer in the women's game but doesn't turn 21 until August - however Arsenal and England legend Kelly Smith is backing her to do the business Kelly Smith knows all about the pressure of pulling on an Arsenal shirt, and now she's one of the people tasked with ensuring new club record signing Olivia Smith can rise to the occasion. And the coach - who won five league titles with the club in her own playing days - backs her namesake to do the business. Canada international Olivia, who doesn't turn 21 until August, became the first £1m player in women's football when she joined Arsenal from Liverpool. Sometimes the price tag can produce untold pressure, but former England striker Kelly has no such concerns. "She's broken the record... it's up to the clubs to come to that. I don't think she would really be looking at that fee," the 46-year-old told Mirror Football. "She just wants to get her head down and and play for Arsenal. Obviously we've got all our games at the Emirates this year so that we've been averaging 45,000, so I think she wants to play on that big stage in front of an exciting Arsenal crowd that helps spur the team on. "But yeah, I think as a new player coming into a club, you just want to get training as quickly as possible, get the ball at your feet, get introduced to your teammates to get comfortable with them. Just learn the way that Arsenal play and then hopefully we'll see her flourish." Arsenal's newest signing only has one WSL season under her belt, but her performance against the London side left a real mark. "She was so dynamic, so quick," coach Smith added. "Running in behind, very, very skillful, up against Katie McCabe, who's a top defender, and Katie had a hard time against her. So it's really pleasing to see that we've got such a an exciting young talent come through who's young, who's hungry, that will give us an extra dimension in a one v one down either flank or wherever we decide to play her. "But that is her strength. She brings a lot of pace and excitement to to this Arsenal side and I think the fans will be really off their seats watching her play." Smith isn't Arsenal's only new attacking signing, with England star Chloe Kelly completing a permanent move on the eve of Euro 2025. And, as Kelly Smith prepares to coach a front-line containing Kelly and Smith, she believes that strength in depth can only be a good thing for the Champions League holders. "Yeah, absolutely," she said when asked if Kelly can benefit from the added competition. "I think us as a club, we want world class players, two world class players in every position to push players on so they don't become complacent. "So I think competition is fierce and it's it's good for the players, they enjoy it. They want to be pushed in training, they want to be pushed in games and I think competition is vital if you want to do well in every competition." Kelly Smith is speaking courtesy of EE, whose Everyone Needs a Squad' campaign aims to help girls across the country build confidence and belonging on and off the pitch. And, while she's glad to see the way youth football has helped shape her namesake, she notes things were very different when it comes to her own football education. "There were no girls teams for me to play on. I had to play on a boys team and then got kicked off that boys team for being pretty much the wrong sex in the in the view of the parents of the opposition," she said.. "And then I found another boys team. The same thing happened. It's just because I was too good and I was a girl. "So there were no opportunities for me to play with girls. But now in this day and age, there's so many girls interested, girls' youth teams available now, school teams available. "I didn't have that. I had to fight my way and be told I can't play. But it's so pleasing to see now that there's so many young girls want to take take the sport up and have role models now that they want to be in practice. [To] be a Chloe Kelly, be an Alessia Russo because they see it now." Kelly Smith is supporting EE's 'Everyone Needs a Squad' campaign to help girls across the country build confidence and belonging on and off the pitch. For more information visit Additionally, the campaign includes the EE Squad Socials. Taking place at locations across the UK, (Brighton 19th July and London Sunday 27th July) the events provide a vibrant space for teenage girls and their families to play, connect, and celebrate self-expression through football.
