Liverpool vs Chelsea TV channel, kick-off time and predicted line ups
When? Wednesday August 14, 8pm
Where? Vodafone Park, Istanbul
What channel? BT Sport 2
Liverpool XI: Adrian, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Milner, Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Salah, Firmino, Shaqiri
Chelsea XI: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Zouma, Christensen, Alonso, Kante, Jorginho, Pedro, Barkley, Pulisic, Giroud
Players to watch…
As he always is, Mohamed Salah could be the main man as he looks to haunt his old club Chelsea once again.
The Egypt international scored a screamer against them in the Premier League last season, having also netted against them in the previous campaign’s clash at Anfield as well.
Salah showed he means business with a fast start to the season as he scored in the win over Norwich City, and he’ll fancy himself against this unconvincing Chelsea defence that just shipped four to Manchester United.
Elsewhere, it’s a first big test for Liverpool’s new goalkeeper Adrian, who will now need to fill in for a lengthy spell after Alisson’s injury.
Chelsea, though, don’t exactly look like having that much to worry the Spaniard with, as Tammy Abraham perhaps looked a little out of his depth at Old Trafford, with Olivier Giroud likely to replace him for this game but also looking like a player Virgil van Dijk and co. shouldn’t be too troubled by.
It might also be worth keeping an eye on Trent Alexander-Arnold – a top attacking outlet from right-back in most games, but especially so against two suspect left-backs in either Emerson Palmieri or Marcos Alonso, who are surely major weak links in this Blues squad.
How they got here…
As ever, the Super Cup brings together the Champions League and Europa League winners from the previous season.
Both sides came out on top of all-English European finals last term, with Liverpool beating Tottenham 2-0 in Madrid, while Chelsea strolled to a 4-1 victory over Arsenal in the Europa League final in Baku.
Liverpool have enjoyed a lot of success in these all-Premier League European ties, having also beaten Manchester City convincingly in their run to the 2017/18 Champions League final.
Fixture history…
Liverpool and Chelsea specifically also have a rich history of feisty European ties, dating back to the era when Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez quite regularly pitted their wits against each other in the Champions League.
There was, of course, that Luis Garcia ‘ghost goal’ in the 2005 semi-final that put LFC on their way to winning the competition against AC Milan in Istanbul (this is not the same stadium as the venue for that final, by the way). Two years later, Liverpool got past Chelsea again at the semi-final stage, beating them on penalties to set up another final against Milan, though they lost that one 2-1.
And then there’s this absolute classic – a 4-4 thriller at Stamford Bridge from the 2008/09 season…
In the dugout…
Two managers in very different situations. At Liverpool, we have the untouchable Klopp, who has worked wonders with the club since he took over, turning them into European Champions, serious title contenders, and both one of the most defensively solid and lethal attacking sides in the world.
We know what to expect from the way the German tactician likes his Reds side to play, and we can all be fairly confident he’s going to be safe in his job for the foreseeable future.
Frank Lampard, meanwhile, has got off to the worst possible start at Chelsea, losing 4-0 to Manchester United on the opening day of the season.
While the Blues put in a decent display in the first half of that game, it’s alarming the way they fell apart in the second period, and will increase the focus on what already looked a very risky managerial appointment by the west Londoners.
If Man Utd was a hard enough first game to start with, Liverpool next is even worse and by full time tomorrow night things could be looking really grim for Lampard.
A trophy wasn’t enough to warm many CFC fans to Maurizio Sarri, but silverware in this game looks essential for the new man at the helm to show he’s not totally out of his depth in the job.
Prediction…
Well, in short, it’s hard to see anything but a convincing Liverpool win.
We’re going for 3-0 to the Reds, and another European trophy to add to the collection.
