One last look before the real thing begins

Pre-season is nearly done. Liverpool host Italian side Como twice on Sunday, first in a behind-closed-doors fixture at 11.30am, then in the main ticketed event at Anfield at 6pm. With the Premier League curtain raiser at Newcastle United arriving on 23 August, Andoni Iraola has precious little time left to put his ideas into practice before the competitive matches start mattering.

The morning game offers a chance to give minutes to those on the fringes, with Jeremy Jacquet, only recently back in team training, expected to feature in the earlier kick-off. It is the evening fixture, though, that will tell us most about where Iraola's thinking has landed heading into the season proper.

The problem on the right that nobody has solved

The elephant in the room is impossible to ignore. Liverpool remain without a settled solution on the right side of their attack, with the search for a winger having dragged on for the best part of six months without resolution. It is a situation that reflects poorly on the club's recruitment process, and it leaves Iraola navigating his options with what he has available.

One view from our writers is that Rio Ngumoha earns the nod on the right for the evening fixture, even if his more natural inclination appears to be the left flank. The other suggestion is much the same, Ngumoha on the right, with Cody Gakpo coming in on the left instead of Victor Munoz. Either way, it is a makeshift arrangement, and everyone at the club knows it. The hope will be that the transfer window provides clarity before Newcastle; right now, that clarity is nowhere to be seen.

What the selected XI might actually look like

Beyond the right flank, there is broad agreement about the shape and personnel Iraola will lean on. Alisson Becker starts in goal. Jeremie Frimpong operates as right-back with Milos Kerkez on the left. The centre-back partnership that both writers expect to see is loan signing Ronald Araujo alongside Virgil van Dijk, a pairing that will likely carry through into the Newcastle fixture as well.

In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai form the two-man pivot, with Florian Wirtz operating in the number 10 role that Iraola has mapped out for him. Alexander Isak leads the line. The main point of difference between our two writers is whether Gakpo or Munoz occupies the left attacking berth, with one suggesting Munoz gets a first start in a Liverpool shirt, and the other keeping Munoz on the bench with Gakpo in from the off. Alexis Mac Allister, meanwhile, is seen as an impact option rather than a starter for this one.

Seven days to go

Sunday is the last chance for Iraola to test combinations, spot problems, and settle on his preferred arrangements before competitive football begins. Liverpool head to Newcastle in a week's time, and the questions that remain unanswered, not least who plays on that right side, will need answers one way or another. Whether the transfer market provides one before then remains the biggest storyline of Liverpool's summer.