Liverpool to take on Malaysia team in pre-season clash

In-form Liverpool FC on Wednesday announced that its first team will play a pre-season friendly against a Malaysian XI in Kuala Lumpur on their first visit to the city since a successful trip in 2011.

Brendan Rodgers' side, currently bidding for a top-four place in the Premier League, will play the Malaysian side in the 80,000 capacity Bukit Jalil National Stadium on July 24. A week earlier Liverpool FC will be playing matches in Australia, reports Xinhua.

Liverpool's website said the Kuala Lumpur fixture is just one element of a programme of activity that the club is delivering in 2015 to bring Malaysian fans closer to the team they support.

With a full 'Reds' squad, the touring party will include coaching staff from the club's official charity, the Liverpool FC Foundation, to carry out work in the community throughout the visit as well as taking part in events with official supporters' clubs.

"We visited Kuala Lumpur as part of our 2011 pre-season tour and the support we received was incredible. Not only from the 80,000 fans that turned out to watch us play at Bukit Jalil but all our fans in Malaysia throughout our visit," Liverpool FC chief executive officer Ian Ayre said.

"Pre-season is an important time for the team as they prepare for the upcoming season and the match against the Malaysian XI is an exciting part of that preparation. The tour gives our supporters a chance to see the team up close, no matter how far away from Anfield they might live."

The match will be organised by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

Liverpool's return to Australia comes two years after the team received an incredible reception in Melbourne. Games will be played in Brisbane on July 17 and in Adelaide three days later.

Rodgers has said this week that Liverpool could aim for second spot in the Premier League, guaranteeing his team a place in the Champion's League.