Liverpool set to play Serie A contenders in Aviva Stadium friendly

Liverpool are set to play Serie A contenders Napoli in a pre-season friendly at the Aviva Stadium in August, according to the club's president Aurelio de Laurentiis.

Liverpool played Athletic Bilbao in front of 51,333 people last year as the Reds cruised to a 3-1 win and now Jurgen Klopp's side look set for a return to the Irish capital this summer. "There won’t be any tournaments. For now, we have organised a friendly with Liverpool FC in Dublin on 4 August," De Laurentiis told Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport. Klopp said that Dublin was a Liverpool city after the Bilbao game last year and added that it was a really special atmosphere at the Aviva Stadium.

“I was really touched by the atmosphere, to be honest,” Klopp said, in his post-match press conference. "When we came to the stadium, when we drove through the city, when we arrived at the hotel, it was really special. “I heard that Dublin is quite an LFC city — Now I know. It’s completely different to feel it. I thought it made absolute sense to try give something back. “When we left the hotel before the game today, there were 500 people minimum but if you give one autograph there are still 499 and we don’t have time so that’s always difficult,” he responded. “We tried to spread that a little bit and hopefully we can make these fans happy because they made us happy. You’ll Never Walk Alone before the game was outstanding, during the game was outstanding, and even after the game was special. “Thank you, Dublin. That was a really special experience.”