Five top European clubs to grace Singapore Festival of Football from 26 July to 2 Aug
Liverpool, Tottenham, Leicester, Bayern Munich and Roma to play 3 friendlies at National Stadium
SINGAPORE — Football fans in Singapore, get set for a week of top European football clubs coming to the National Stadium in end-July.
Following the announcement of the pre-season friendly between English Premier League (EPL) club Tottenham Hotspur and Italian Serie A side AS Roma on 26 July, two more pre-season matches were announced on Tuesday (16 May) - and both involved EPL giants Liverpool.
The Reds - who had visited Singapore just last year - will first play fellow EPL club Leicester City for the Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy on 30 July, and then face German giants Bayern Munich for Singapore Trophy, presented by Audi and Standard Chartered, on 2 August.
These three pre-season friendlies are part of what is dubbed the "Singapore Festival of Football" by organisers TEG Sport. Spectators can also look forward to entertaining offerings at the Football Fan Interactive Festival Village throughout the week, which will complement the main events at the National Stadium.
Besides the matches, Tottenham, Liverpool and Bayern will also hold open training session for their legions of fans: Spurs (25 July) and Liverpool (29 July) at the National Stadium, with details of Bayern's session to be announced at a later date. The clubs will also be involved community and fan activities throughout the week.
Tickets for all the events for the Singapore Festival of Football Driven by CDG Zig will go on general sale via Ticketek Singapore from 10am on 22 May. Fans can also sign up for an account on Ticketek Singapore for the latest information and for pre-sale access to the matches.
Full schedule of Singapore Festival of Football events:
Tottenham Hotspur open training (National Stadium, 25 July, 6pm)
Tiger Cup: Tottenham Hotspur v Roma (National Stadium, 26 July, 7.30pm)
Liverpool open training (National Stadium, 29 July, 8.30pm)
Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy: Liverpool vs Leicester City (National Stadium, 30 July, 5pm)
Bayern Munich open training (1 August, venue and time to be confirmed)
Singapore Trophy presented by Audi and Standard Chartered: Liverpool vs Bayern Munich (National Stadium, 2 August, 7.30pm)
Second Singapore visit in as many years for Liverpool
Last year, Liverpool sent their fans home happy after a 2-0 win over fellow English Premier League side Crystal Palace at the National Stadium, with captain Jordan Henderson and star forward Mohamed Salah getting the goals.
Over 50,000 fans decked the stadium red and sang the Reds anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" with gusto, as the team gave a round of applause in appreciation after the match, which was also the first time the stadium was permitted full capacity since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
Although manager Jurgen Klopp admitted that such Asian tours are not the most ideal for pre-season preparations, he acknowledged, "The best thing about it is that we come close to our 'family' of fans who live very far from where we are. We know how important it is to come."
Liverpool have also made the long trip to Singapore for pre-season matches in 2001 and 2009. They came to the city-state for a special training session in 2011, but did not play any match.
Tottenham last came to Singapore in 2019 for a pre-season friendly with Italian giants Juventus, which they won 3-2 thanks to a stunning last-minute strike from the centre line by Harry Kane.
Bayern Munich were previously in Singapore in 2017, when they faced English club Chelsea and Italian side Inter Milan in pre-season friendlies under the International Champions Cup umbrella.
As for Leicester and Roma, it will be their first pre-season trips to Singapore.
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