Reds Set To Fly To Switzerland

LIVERPOOL’S preparations for their first season under Roy Hodgson step up a gear today when the squad jets out to Switzerland for a nine-day training camp.
The travelling party will be without the 13 players on duty at the World Cup but the trip will still serve a valuable purpose for the new manager as he continues to settle into his role.
The squad will be based in the Alps, close to the Austrian border, and they will play three games in different locations – the first being against Saudi Arabian champions Al Hilal on Saturday evening – before returning back to Merseyside.
Managed by the one-time Belgian international Eric Gerets, Al Hilal’s squad is made up mainly of Saudis but their foreign contingent includes former Tottenham defender Lee Young-pyo and Swedish midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson, who had a spell on loan at Bolton Wanderers in 2007.

That game, which kicks-off at 6pm, will be staged in the Cashpoint Arena in Altach, a small Austrian town across the border from where Liverpool are staying.
Next on the agenda is a friendly with Grasshopper Club Zurich in the town of Zug, which is best known for having the lowest tax rate in Switzerland and being a haven for the super rich.
This match, which takes place next Wednesday, will undoubtedly provide Liverpool with a more demanding test, as the Swiss domestic season actually starts this weekend.
Grasshopper, the most successful Swiss team of all time with 27 domestic titles, have qualified for the Europa League after finishing third last season. Their manager, Ciriaco Sforza, will be well-known to Hodgson, as he played for him when the Reds boss was in charge of the Swiss national team and at Inter Milan.
Rounding things off is a friendly in Germany with Kaiserslautern in the Betzenberg Stadium on July 24.
The German side are now back in the Bundesliga having been promoted as champions of the German second division.
Liverpool will fly home immediately after that contest, to prepare for their impending Europa League qualifier – they will discover the identity of their opponents when the draw is made this coming Friday in UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon.
But while Hodgson will be without star names such as Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Pepe Reina and Fernando Torres for the trip, he will still be able to call upon several players with Premier League experience.
Lucas, Martin Kelly, Philipp Degen and Daniel Pacheco will be among the travelling contingent, as will Alberto Aquilani. This will be an important period for the Italian midfielder, who has suffered with injuries since joining the club last August.

However, Peter Brukner – Liverpool’s head of sports science & sports medicine department – has revealed that Aquilani has completely recovered from the ankle injury which caused so many problems.
“Alberto’s ankle, which was a problem last year, is now 100% healed,” Brukner said. “He has been training and has looked very sharp.
“He’ll have to keep working on his injury prevention programme and if he does, I’m sure the supporters will see the best of him because last season was very frustrating for him injury-wise.”
The three friendlies will be broadcast live on the club’s channel LFC TV.