Five Liverpool players who need a big week ahead of Audi Cup clash against Bayern Munich

Several members of Jurgen Klopp's squad need minutes under their belts before their new season starts at Vicarage Road

Jordan Henderson is one player who must build up match fitness before the season starts (Getty)

Liverpool’s pre-season continues in Germany this week, with Jurgen Klopp’s side meeting Bayern Munich in the Audi Cup on Tuesday night.

Napoli and Atletico Madrid are also competing in the four-team knock-out competition, with a final and third-place playoff to be played on Wednesday.

The mini-tournament comes just over a week before Liverpool’s Premier League opener at Marco Silva’s Watford, and several members of Klopp’s squad will be hoping that by impressing in Germany, they can force their way into his Vicarage Road starting line-up.

Here are five players who could do with a good few days in Germany...

Sadio Mane

After completing his recovery from knee surgery, Sadio Mane finally made his long-awaited return to action in Berlin, playing the first 45 minutes of the victory over Hertha.

His pace was still there, as were glimpses of the devastation he can wreak on defences, but even the Senegal international himself would admit his display was ‘leggy’. What he needs, as we noted in the aftermath, is more minutes.

He will surely get them over the course of the Audi Cup, but it remains to be seen whether Mane will have enough in the tank to start at Watford a week on Saturday. Klopp is one of the more cautious coaches when it comes to players returning from long lay-offs and with the attacking options at his disposal, he could feasibly leave Liverpool’s player of last season out of this campaign’s opener.

Jordan Henderson

Henderson is another member of Klopp’s squad making baby steps after a long period out on the sidelines, though he has racked up significantly more playing time than Mane over the course of pre-season.

Nevertheless, the quick turnaround of two fixtures against Champions League-grade opposition will test the skipper more than most, and help a player who has not spent enough time out on the pitch over the last few years prepare for a hectic early season schedule.

After all, before he can lead Liverpool into European football’s elite club competition for the first time, Henderson and his team-mates must negotiate the playoff round, meaning two games in a week throughout August.

Ragnar Klavan

Ragnar Klavan’s wealth of Bundesliga experience did not seem to count for much in Berlin, with the Estonian’s nervy display a reminder that he was signed as little more than cover and only promoted up the ranks after Mamadou Sakho’s fall-out with Klopp.

He is a serviceable but inconsistent player, and one that Liverpool had to call upon too often last season. The worry will be that should the club’s attempts to prise Virgil van Dijk from Southampton fail, an inconsistent Klavan will relied upon too much again.

Two competent performances over the next two days would not eradicate those fears, but would ease them slightly.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

With Nathaniel Clyne likely to sit out at Vicarage Road after missing the entirety of pre-season and Joe Gomez now sidelined with a minor knee problem, the spotlight falls on the highly-thought-of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Even before Clyne’s injury, it was expected that the 18-year-old Alexander-Arnold would compete for a starting spot at right-back this term. Now, he has the chance to make a head-start on his rivals for the position. Two impressive outings in Germany would make him all but certain to start against Watford.

Daniel Sturridge

The question of whether Daniel Sturridge will stay or go now seems to have been answered, with speculation linking him with a move away falling quiet. The question of whether he is first-choice under Klopp, however, remains open.

Sturridge still has much to offer this side, as he showed with his brilliant display at West Ham United towards the tail end of last season, but the competition at Anfield for places up front has become more intense.

Even with Mane’s lack of match fitness to consider, Klopp is likely to select Philippe Coutinho, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino as his front three once the competitive fixtures finally come. It is up to Sturridge to change that.