Liverpool will head abroad during the mid-season break for the World Cup, with the club organising a training camp for those not involved at the tournament.
The Reds are heading into a season like no other as, for the first time, the Premier League will pause midway through the fixture list to accommodate a World Cup.
Due to the temperatures during the summer in Qatar, the decision was made to hold the tournament during the winter, with the first game to be played on November 21 and the final taking place on December 18.
That means the Premier League will require a seven-week break between games on November 13 and the resumption on December 26.
Liverpool will see a number of players depart for the World Cup, of course, including the likes of Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Alisson, Darwin Nunez, Virgil van Dijk and Diogo Jota.
But there are more set to miss out, with Jurgen Klopp and his staff planning a second ‘pre-season’ in a campaign seen as two sprints, rather than a marathon.
Until now, it had been unclear whether Liverpool would head abroad for a training camp or simply allow players a mid-season holiday before resuming training on Merseyside.
However, assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders has now confirmed that the Reds will fly to Dubai during the World Cup, which serves two purposes.
“We decided to go to Dubai,” Lijnders told the Press Association.
“It’s close [to Qatar] so players can come quickly back, so they can prepare quick with the team again, and it gives us real time to prepare for the second sprint of the season.”
It is likely that Liverpool will arrange friendly games while out in Dubai, with the emirate almost certain to host other clubs from the Premier League and around Europe.
But the focus will be on retaining and improving levels of fitness before the second half of the season, while allowing those on international duty time to readjust after a short flight from Qatar.
It will mark the first time Liverpool have been based in Dubai as a squad, though many players opt to head there for holidays and injury rehabilitation.
