Patrick Vieira says that his side will treat the Liverpool game with as much respect as they would if it were a Premier League fixture, as they prepare to meet in the Singapore National Stadium on Friday.
“There is no easy game against Liverpool,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “We are facing a team that will be there at the top to challenge for the title, and will be there to challenge for winning the Champions League.
“It’s preparation that will give us, and me as a manager, an idea about where we are. It’s really good game preparation for us.
“We know how difficult and challenging that game will be, but we are in preparations and we will learn a lot tomorrow about where we are, and which part of the game we will need to focus on.
“The objective is to be ready for the first game of the season.”
With several Academy players a part of the tour squad, there is a chance for Vieira to assess the next generation of talent at the club – and the manager says that extends further than on the pitch.
“We bring some young players and that will be a really good experience,” he explained. “Some of them are travelling that far for the first time.
“How are they going to deal with that experience? The flight, the time difference. Those kinds of experiences will tell us a lot about those players.”
The ultimate aim, however, is the to be in prime condition for the first game of the season against Arsenal in August.
“The objective for us is to try and improve, to try and play better football in possession and out of possession,” he said.
“We want to improve, we want to play better and challenge ourselves. I believe also this second season will be more difficult than the first one.
“We have a big task in front of us, and this is a really big challenge that we are looking forward to.”
