Preston ready Diogo Jota tributes at Deepdale as Liverpool friendly set to go ahead
Liverpool are set to play their first pre-season friendly on Sunday against Preston North End.
The match had been in doubt following the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, in a road traffic accident last Thursday (July 3), but Liverpool have now confirmed that the friendly on 13 July will go ahead.
Players and staff were granted additional leave before reporting to pre-season training following the shocking news.
Preston to hold Jota tribute
Jota and Silva’s deaths sent shockwaves throughout the footballing world.
Tributes poured in from all corners of the globe, with Liverpool players taking to social media to share their memories of the forward.
Both men’s funerals took place in their hometown of Gondomar on Saturday (July 5) and were attended by the Liverpool squad and several staff members, including Arne Slot.
With the Reds’ first pre-season friendly in such close proximity, both Preston and national broadcaster ITV were happy to wait for a decision to be made by Liverpool regarding their participation.
After internal discussions and sensitive talks between the clubs, that decision has now been made, with the friendly to go ahead as planned.
According to the Liverpool Echo (July 9), the Championship club are preparing to hold tributes to the late Jota but will be guided by their opponents.
The match will be shown live on ITV One, with kick-off taking place at 3pm.
Liverpool return will be emotional
Liverpool’s return to football will feel strange to fans and players alike.
For the past week, football has felt like the very least important thing, with grief and loss taking charge over all other emotions.
To some players, Sunday’s match will just act as a chance to avert their minds elsewhere.
And for fans who go to watch, the celebration of a goal, or a sliding tackle, will feel remarkably futile in light of such devastating events.
But perhaps all involved can feel a sense of remembrance in continuing to play the game that Jota devoted much of his life to, the game that he and his brother loved to play.
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