Liverpool and Arsenal kick-off the 2020/21 season on Saturday afternoon in the FA Community Shield at Wembley.

The annual contest pits the Premier League champions against the FA Cup winners for the first silverware of the campaign.

Ahead of the match, manager Jurgen Klopp virtually addressed the media.

Here are his most important responses, as quoted by the official Liverpool website:

On his approach to the curtain-raiser

"I would be very surprised if this would be the best game we play this season but we should be ready to fight for a result because the opponent has a similar situation. So, just give it a proper try, give everything you have and try to win it. That’s all I can say about it. It’s not a test game, it’s not a friendly, it’s a proper game."

Klopp was asked whether the game should be seen as anything more a formalised friendly, and responded by demanding nothing less than total commitment from his players.

That said, he is more concerned with application than he is performance, seemingly anticipating a rather scrappy game in light of both teams' limited preparation.

The Reds' compressed pre-season consisted of only two hastily-organised friendlies in Austria, and the Arsenal squad reconvened even later.

It will be the first 90-minute outing of 2020/21 for all concerned.

Nonetheless, Liverpool are the favourites, looking to go one better than last year when they were beaten on penalties by then-champions Manchester City.

On the available personnel

"Hendo [Jordan Henderson] and Joel [Matip] looking really good, on a good way. Ox [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain], early stages but good. Shaq [Xherdan Shaqiri], good. Trent [Alexander-Arnold], very close, we have to make a decision about tomorrow. Harry [Wilson] looks good."

Klopp will likely be choosing from the same players who were fit for the trip to RB Salzburg on Tuesday.

Virgil van Dijk was forced off in the first half of that game with a facial injury, but he has been cleared to play.

Many of the absentees in Austria are said to be closing in on a return to action, the exception being Oxlade-Chamberlain, who could miss the first six weeks of the new season.

In line with Klopp's positive update, Henderson and Matip are likely to return to training next week.

Alexander-Arnold and Wilson have already been working at Melwood, and the former may travel to London.

Shaqiri's absence from the friendly squads was unaddressed at first, but it appears that he picked up a minor knock.

Intriguingly, Klopp did not publicly address the fitness of Divock Origi, another yet to be involved.

On his plans for Brewster

"I only mention it because it’s not decided yet, why should we? There’s absolutely no reason to rush anything in that thing. He is our boy and now in the moment he is here. He will be involved tomorrow, in the squad for sure, and that’s it."

Rhian Brewster's sparkling 2020 form has left Liverpool with a dilemma.

Brewster scored 11 goals on loan at Swansea in the Championship run-in and bagged three in two substitute appearances in Austria.

So, do they swiftly integrate him into the first-team squad, allotting him only a handful of opportunities at first?

Or do they send him out on loan once again, hoping his development accelerates at top-flight level rather than stalls?

Klopp and his colleagues look to have paused for thought, and may delay the decision until Brewster returns from England Under-21 duty next month.

A goal off the bench against Arsenal, though, could hasten that process.

On his team's transfer plans

"I don’t know what will happen, to be honest, but there’s a long time to go until October 6... We will see how much we can, or how much we want, to spend and all these kinds of things. So, nothing really to say about it."

An intriguing, but expressly non-committal answer from the Liverpool boss when he was inevitably asked about summer business.

Liverpool have made one signing so far in this transfer window, bringing in Greek international Kostas Tsimikas for just shy of £12million.

As Klopp pointed out, the champions still have around five weeks for further dealings.

For the most part, the name on supporters' lips has been Thiago Alcantara, instrumental in Bayern Munich's Champions League success.

But, after the coronavirus pandemic tore into their revenue streams, Liverpool may be unprepared to stoke up the cash it would take to lure the 29-year-old to Anfield.

Indeed, Klopp's remarks point to ongoing financial uncertainty.

"The number, the size of the squad, is absolutely OK in the moment... We don’t live in dreamland in the moment where we say, ‘Come on, let’s bring him in, let’s bring him in, let’s bring him in’ and then we realise later on we have some other problems."

Further to the above, Klopp regards signings as luxuries from Liverpool's position of strength.

He suggests the Reds are more than capable of defending their title with the players currently at their disposal.

And he also sounded a warning - swooping for all of their targets this summer may improve their short-term prospects but could also inhibit their spending power long-term.

In years to come, the need for investment will be noticeably greater.