The Athletic has live coverage of Chiefs vs Chargers on in NFL kickoff action from Brazil.

When the NFL played its first game in Brazil last year at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil, criticism rose about the slick field conditions. As the league prepares to return to the arena for Friday’s Kansas City Chiefs versus Los Angeles Chargers matchup, it hopes to avoid the same problems thanks to a turf renovation, along with extra awareness from players, coaches and executives.

“We are always focused on delivering the best experience for our teams in every way, and certainly, the field surface is a key component of that,” NFL executive VP of club business Peter O’Reilly said in August. “Our team has been down there working with Corinthians to ensure the best possible field surface for this game, and we feel confident in that.”

Corinthians Arena, also known as Neo Química Arena, is primarily a soccer stadium and has hosted events like the World Cup, Olympics and Copa América. Its playing surface features the hybrid turf GrassMaster, which is the same turf used at two NFL stadiums: Lambeau Field (Green Bay Packers) and Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Eagles), the homes of two teams that played in Brazil last year. However, before this summer, the turf at Corinthians Arena had not been renovated since the facility opened in 2014.

In June, the NFL and its local partners invested in the renovation process and sent technology not yet available in Brazil to sew new synthetic fibers in the grass. The process was aimed at improving traction, a development that directly ties to the concerns of NFL players.

The Eagles beat the Packers 34-29 last year in Brazil, but multiple players lost their footing and slipped throughout the game. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told NBC at halftime that the playing surface was a problem, but, “We’ve gotta do whatever you’ve gotta do, change your cleats.”

On Monday, before Chargers players departed for Brazil, a whiteboard outside of their equipment room had a note written on it in red marker, strongly urging them to get fitted for screw-in cleats. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert said he thinks his team “will be able to handle it,” as long as they are properly equipped.

“I think it’s something that we always address before the game, and we’ve seen the film. We’ve talked about it,” Herbert said. “That’s something that we’ll feel before the game when we’re able to warm up, see how it is, and just make sure that we get a good feel for all the cuts that we’re going to make and handle that.”

Chargers running back Najee Harris said earlier this week that improper field conditions can make playing extremely difficult, especially in the running game.

“When I cut into the ground, I put a lot of force into it,” Harris said. “I know it’s not going to be the same type of (surface) that we’re used to playing on, and hopefully the screw-in cleats help, but I probably don’t think it will.

“We’ll see, man. Rather than make assumptions and think about the field, you just got to do what you got to do. Any surface — rain, sleet, concrete, AstroTurf — it don’t matter.”

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he knew that the league was working on improving the field conditions and brushed off concerns about the impact it would have on the game. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and, for the first time, will be free to watch on YouTube. The Brazil game is the first of seven international games for the NFL this season.

“I think it’ll be ripping and ready to go,” Reid said. “But you know what? Whatever it is, both teams are playing on it, and we roll.”

— The Athletic’s Jesse Newell contributed to this report.

(Photo: Andre Penner / Associated Press)