Liverpool have asked for next season’s opening game away from home to complete preparations at their new Anfield Road stand.
Work that began in September 2021 is due to be completed this summer on an £80m renovation that will add around 7,000 additional seats, bringing the stadium’s total capacity to over 61,000.
However, with test events and possible additional work on the pitch from construction work that will remove the roof of the existing stand at the end of the season, Liverpool are hoping to buy themselves more time to make sure everything is ready. ready to open on the second weekend of the new campaign.
The club made a similar request to the Premier League when they completed the construction of a new main stand in 2016, which followed the same process of erecting a new building after the existing one to ensure that the venue’s capacity did not decrease during the season.
“We are on track and on budget,” said Paul Cattil, vice president of stadium operations. “Progress is going very well and we have to complete it by the end of July to be ready for the first home game of the 2023/24 season.
“It has not yet been confirmed, but we have asked for the first game away, which means the first home game will be on August 19 or 20.
“It just means that we have the best chance of making sure the stadium is ready, that we have test events that are licensed and ready to go.
“There is an element of work on the field to make sure he recovers from the roof being removed and the work being done on the field during the closed season.”