A friendly? A competitive clash? People have their own opinion on the Community Shield and there is no doubt that this season it seems even stranger.
It's been barely a month since the end of last season, and here we have FA Cup winners Arsenal facing Premier League Champions Liverpool at Wembley.
The reds have been back in pre-season training for just a couple of weeks and after this will have another two weeks before the Premier League proper gets underway. (International football, sadly, sandwiched in between).
Klopp's side lost on penalties last season to Man City in this fixture, although did eventually steamroll them to the title. This is the fourth Arsenal/Liverpool Charity/Community Shield game. Arsenal won the last one back in 2002, with the reds winning in 1979 and 1989.
Arsenal enjoyed a fine end to last season. They beat us a few games after we had already won the title, but then beat Man City and Chelsea on the way to winning the FA Cup.
How will today's game unfold?
As it happened...
It's the traditional curtain raiser to the English football season, but it's almost September and only 34 days since the end of last season.
The reds only returned to training two weeks ago and managed to squeeze in two quick pre-season kickabouts with Stuttgart and Salzburg in the past week.
Klopp, while saying the whole preparation isn't ideal, is looking at the positives.
"Would I want to play a proper game after two weeks' preparation? No.
"But it's not a friendly, it's a proper match against Arsenal."
"For us, like Arsenal, we prepare for a whole season - one of the most intense, probably, we have ever experienced in our lives because of the amount of games and the time we have for that," he said.
"It will be intense but nobody is moaning. We are happy we can play at all.
"It's as perfect as we can be and we will try everything to win the game and Arsenal will do the same."
Here's how the Champions line up
Alisson, Williams, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Milner, Wijnaldum, Mane, Salah, Firmino
Subs: Adrian, Keita, Grujic, Jones, Minamino, Tsimikas, Brewster, Elliott, Koumetio,
Here's how the Londoners line up today.
Martinez, Bellerin, Luiz, Holding, Tierney, Maitland-Niles, Elneny, Xhaka, Saka, Aubameyang, Nketiah
Subs: Leno, Soares, Willock, Saliba, Kolašinac, Olayinka, Nelson, Smith-Rowe, John-Jules
'We had about 19 days but yeah, happy to be here. We're still in the middle of pre-season but we're as happy as can be.
'I hope I don't have to speak all year about defending the title. You cannot defend it when it's an open race for everyone. We will try to attack it like last year but why do I have to worry about that now.
'Today is the Community Shield. A different day. After the internationals we only have three days to prepare for the Leeds game.
'I saw the line up of Arsenal already - it looks good even though some players are missing - the same for us.
We are underway. Liverpool in red shirts, Arsenal in some kind of white shirts with paint splashes all over them.
7' David Luiz with a foul on Wijnaldum outside the area.
Robertson whips in the free kick and Virgil sticks it in the back of the net. But the flag is up, and Virgil was offside as the free kick was taken.
13' Somewhat against the run of play but Aubameyang with the game's opening goal.
Neat curled finish from the man who rounded Williams and put that way past Alisson.
17' Liverpool concede possession and some quick passing from Arsenal allows Nketiah to hit a low shot that Alisson puts around the post for a corner.
27' Saka bossing Liverpool's midfield - he feeds Eddie Nketiah again who curls wide of the target.
31' A glimpse of Mane, Firmino and Robbo getting their acts together. Robbo sends the ball across but nobody in the middle can put it in the net.
36' Mane does well to keep the ball in play and Robertson sends in a beautiful cross.
Deserves to be hit but no one does.
Better from Liverpool.
41' Robbo picking up the pace and dragging Liverpool along.
Another great whipped cross, Mane gets a head on it but not enough power. It takes the ball away from the path to Virgil van Dijk too so he can't stick it in the net.
Klopp's head is in his hands on the touchline!
Arsenal 1-0 Liverpool
The reds started well but Aubameyang with a well taken goal from the corner of the area.
Liverpool then went into a bit of a tailspin before Robbo, with Mane, effectively dragged them out of their stupor.
Much better as the half wore on.
We're back underway.
No changes for either side.
It's a strange world we're in, isn't it?
Subs b̶e̶n̶c̶h̶ block pic.twitter.com/8OwGofrHtK
— Anfield Online (@anfieldonline) August 29, 2020
51' Firmino brings the ball about 20 yards before pulling the trigger just outside the area.
Right footed curler goes just past the post. Good effort.
56' Ball forward to Mane, he should tuck it away but Martinez comes out well - makes himself big and denies Sadio a goal.
The reds can't complain about a lack of opportunities in this game.
57' Captain Milner gets a yellow card there for a foul in the middle of the pitch.
Subs merry-go-round is about to get underway.
59' Takumi Minamino and Naby Keita are on for the reds - Milner and Williams make way. Virgil van Dijk handed the captains armband.
Arsenal also with a change. Cedric Soares replacing Hector Bellerin.
Gomez has gone to right back, Fabinho drops back to centre-back.
67' Not much happening as we approach the half-way point in this second half.
Minamino with a strike that's at the perfect height for Martinez to catch.
Good defensive display by the FA Cup holders.
72' That's his first Liverpool goal! TAKUMI MINAMINO!
Mane, Salah, Firmino all involved, it bounces around and Minamino spins and fires it in.
81' Curtis Jones comes on to replace Bobby Firmino.
Well in lad!pic.twitter.com/0IUStWE0k7
— Anfield Online (@anfieldonline) August 29, 2020
81' Nketiah and Saka replaced by Willock and Reiss Nelson.
87' Opportunity there for the Gunners. Cedric Soares pings a decent ball in but Willock makes a hash of his header.
Was about 6 yards out.
We're into three minutes of injury time before penalties.
90+1' Rhian Brewster is on for Wijnaldum. Is that an eye on the penalty shoot out?
Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool
Straight to a penalty shoot out.
Mo Salah.... smashes it in 1-0.
Reiss Nelson... scores 1-1.
Fabinho steps up... slots it 2-1.
Maitland-Niles steps up - goal 2-2.
Brewster - crossbar. Unlucky. 2-2.
Cedric Soares - goal. 2-3.
Minamino goal. 3-3.
David Luiz.... scores 3-4.
Curtis Jones... scores 4-4.
Up steps Aubameyang... he scores 4-5.
Arsenal win the Community Shield.
FT: Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool (5-4 on pens)
So it's a second consecutive Community Shield defeat for Liverpool who lost last year in this game to a similar scoreline (match and penalties).
Last season Gini Wijnaldum was the man to miss the penalty. This year, Klopp subbed him off just before the shoot out for Rhian Brewster, who came on to miss the penalty.
Liverpool will be hoping the omens point towards the same success come the end of the season!
The reds weren't brilliant, but weren't terrible either and Minamino will at least be happy with his debut goal.
Two weeks until the start of the season proper, lots for Klopp to work on!
Liverpool needs a centre forward. There was hardly any fire power in front. Firmino the worst of the forwards. Still time to get one, otherwise Chelsea or Manchester City will take the crown next season. Whether Liverpool will make the top four,. not with this team.