UEFA Super Cup Preview: Liverpool v Chelsea

In the next instalment of the UEFA Super Cup, Liverpool take on Chelsea in the battle of the European champions.

A fixture steeped in modern history, Liverpool and Chelsea have plenty of European ding-dong battles this century.

You can’t forget the ‘ghost goal’ from Luis Garcia, which won the Reds a place in the 2005 Champions League final, or the incredible 7-5 aggregate win in the 2009 quarter final, with two goals from current manager Lampard in the second leg seeing Chelsea through.

In 2018/19 they played each other on three occasions. Last time out the Reds came out on top, with Mane’s header and Salah’s screamer toppling Maurizio Sarri’s, and Daniel Sturridge’s wonder strike earning Klopp a point at Stamford Bridge. Eden Hazard tore the Reds apart in the Carabao Cup tie.

Team news

After the first round of Premier League fixtures, it is likely that both sides will medially rotate in what some can perceive as a glorified pre-season friendly.

Klopp will be without Alisson after he picked up a calf injury against Norwich City, with Adrian and Andy Lonergan set to travel to Istanbul in his place. In better news, Sadio Mane looked sharp at Anfield and is likely to start.

Chelsea will be without starlets Callum Hudson-Odoi, Loftus-Cheek and Reece James as they recover from long term injuries, and Lampard will have to wait on the fitness of Willian who is likely to travel after not featuring at Old Trafford.

Lampard buoyant for Chelsea resilience

“It’s a cup that the club desperately wants to win,

“I’ve never won it; a lot of players in there have never won it, so we have to give it everything. Going up against the team with the quality of Liverpool in a final is as tense as finals can be. You can lose finals; they’re very tough. But what you cannot do is lose it on the premise that we weren’t prepared, or we didn’t have that hunger or desire or everything you need to try and win a game of this magnitude.

It’s going to be one of my first competitive games as manager of this club. Every player in there needs to be aware of the importance of the game to this club and we have to give everything, because it’s going to be tough. It’s going to be tough, but we cannot walk off the pitch and think “oh, we could’ve done that” or “we missed that opportunity” or “we weren’t quite ready” or make any excuses for ourselves.”

Klopp eager to claim first trophy of the season

“Stay greedy. That’s very important – I have no doubt about that, but it’s clear that we have to do that. After the [Champions League] final we had about four weeks where everybody was [patting us on the back]and it was brilliant wherever we went.

“It’s just nice, but in a different world things like this can soften you and it can take the power out of you a bit. We are not like this, but it’s a fact that it could happen. We only have to do the same again, and with a couple of things we maybe didn’t do too well, we have to do better. Knowing that something works out helps you to believe that it’ll work out again, 100%.

“That helps when I try to convince the boys that [anything is]possible. Thank God I’m not the only one in the dressing room who thinks that these things are possible, and that helps a lot.”

Head-to-head

In 182 meetings between the two clubs, the Reds have won 78, Chelsea have won 63, and 41 draws, with Chelsea winning against the Reds just once in the league since Jurgen Klopp’s arrival.

Expected line-ups

Chelsea – Arrizabalaga; Azpilicueta (c), Rudiger, Zouma, Emerson; Mount, Jorginho, Kante; Pedro, Giroud, Pulisic

Liverpool – Adrian; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana; Mane, Salah, Origi