Liverpool take on Chelsea on Wednesday, in this year’s UEFA Super Cup 2019, with the Champions League holders meeting the Europa League winners in Istanbul, Turkey.
The Premier League dominated the continent’s major club tournaments in the last season as well as the annual curtain-raiser for this year’s European season is set to be an exciting event.
Liverpool have three times won the trophy. Chelsea won their only trophy at the Super Cup in 1998.
The Reds will be without their first choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker after he was injured in the match against Norwich City in the opening Premier League game of the season on Friday night.
Date: Wednesday, August 14
Time: 10 p.m. local, 8 p.m. BST, 3 p.m. ET
TV: BT Sport 2 (UK), TNT (USA)
Stream: BT Sport App, B/R Live, Watch TNT
Preview
Jurgen Klopp’s team overcame the sadness loss of this season’s Premier League by a point to Manchester City last season by winning the European Cup for a sixth time.
Their 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid also put to put to rest the memory defeat 3-1 at Real Madrid in the final twelve months before.
The main reason of their success has been the arrival in Alisson of AS Roma a year ago and the Brazil international turning out to be the ideal final line of defense of the Reds. However, the 26-year old is likely to take as long as eight weeks of action due to the injury to his calf.
The departure of experienced Simon Mignolet to Club Brugge could not have come at a better time, but the Belgium international was taken over by Adrian. Adrian Spaniard played for six seasons with West Ham United and proved that he was a consistent player within the Premier League.
As per David Lynch of the Evening Standard, Klopp backed his new player to successfully assume the role of Alisson following the No. 1 was injured from the game against Norwich on the pitch at Anfield:
“ He is a extremely confident person and came in. I’m sure he didn’t want to just sit on an bench over the next few years. He was ready.
“ It is a circumstance, but if you are in a position like this, you need someone who has played in the game and has experience.
“ He is 32 an extremely calm and collected person. emotionally as well, and skilled with his feet, which is what we observed him, and that’s very crucial for us.
“ There are a lot of good things, but you still don’t want to have a situation where one goalie is fit. That’s how it is, but we have to see. “
Liverpool could be hurt because of the departure of Alisson However, Chelsea were hammered 4-0 during Frank Lampard’s first Premier League game in charge following Manchester United put the Blues to the test in the midst of Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Stamford Bridge outfit are serving an exclusion from transfers and the coach has had to rely on Chelsea’s youth to boost his squad.
Eden Hazard left the club to join Real Madrid in the summer and Chelsea had a star player in Mason Mount as the No. 10 player against United. The 20-year-old was a player under Lampard during the season when he was on loans at Derby County, but his first appearance in a competitive match was an unsatisfactory experience.
Chelsea could have the option to start the former Borussia Dortmund man Christian Pulisic who is believed as Hazard’s long-term replacement. The problem is that Lampard is adamant that he does not intend to apply too much pressure to Pulisic. United States international in his beginning days at Chelsea.
For Metro, Lampard explained why Pulisic did not start against United:
“ Christian Pulisic is 20 years old. He’s made the move from Dortmund and will be a great player for Dortmund, I think.
“ He’s got great potential, and you can see tiny moments of his acceleration off the ball on the day however, I’ve several options in midfield, and in these kinds of spaces.
“ I don’t want to throw Christian right into the fire, without helping him in the process.
„It was one of those games today where I thought it was better to start with Ross [Barkley] and Mason, who have been very strong in pre-season, and bring Christian on. “
Chelsea have let experienced defensive players David Luiz and Gary Cahill to depart this summer and Lampard will enter into the Super Cup with a youthful team that displayed glimpses of brilliance on Sunday.
Liverpool’s defence was unfocused during preseason, and it could be the ideal moment to prepare the Blues to take on their European champions. This weakness in the back was evident during the first fixture of this season, against Norwich and a more shrewd team could have exploited Klopp’s backline.
The next day, Reds fans will be returning to the spot for one of their most memorable victory. Liverpool were defeated AC Milan 3-2 on penalties in the 2005 Champions League final after coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the second half and drew 3-3 at Istanbul.