Liverpool expect to have 57,000 fans in attendance for the visit of Manchester United on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, providing the new Anfield Road Stand receives a safety certificate this week.
A test event on Monday evening is set to be attended by 7,500-plus supporters, who will watch a LFC Foundation mini-game and listen to a question-and-answer session from manager Jurgen Klopp.
If everything runs smoothly then on Sunday 7,000 seats in the upper tier will be filled for the visit of their arch-rivals, leaving only facilities for 2,000 hospitality guests and some minor work on the lower tier to be completed next month to bring the capacity up to 61,000.
Liverpool’s current record attendance for a top-flight game is 58,757, set in 1949, but the expected 57,000 expected attendance against United on Sunday is set to be a record Reds home crowd for a Premier League game.
Sunday 17th December 4:00pm
Kick off 4:30pm
Work on the £80m upgrade was due to be completed for the start of the season but an initial delay was complicated by contractors Buckingham Group going into administration, leading to a phased reopening which has seen only the lower tier in operation.
“It’s been really challenging,” said Paul Cuttill, vice-president of Stadium Operations.
“Our priority was to get fans back into the stadium as soon as possible safely. Billy (Hogan, the chief executive) said back in October it would likely be 2024 before we would open so to get ahead of that for the Man United game is a bit of an early Christmas present.
“What it has cost us is the amount of time it has taken.
“Being able to bring in people earlier has been a massive benefit to us, but we won’t know the true nature of the costs until we have got a proper programme in place towards the end of the season.”
Liverpool’s next eight fixtures
December 14: Union Saint-Gilloise (A), Europa League, kick-off 5.45pm
December 17: Man Utd (H), Premier League, live on Sky Sports, kick-off 4.30pm
December 20: West Ham (H), Carabao Cup quarter-final, live on Sky Sports, kick-off 8pm
December 23: Arsenal (H), Premier League, live on Sky Sports, kick-off 5.30pm
December 26: Burnley (A), Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm
January 1: Newcastle (H), Premier League, live on Sky Sports, kick-off 8pm
January 7: Arsenal (A), FA Cup third round, kick-off 4.30pm
January 21: Bournemouth (a), Premier League, live on Sky Sports, kick-off 4.30pm