The title-chasing Reds and the newly promoted Canaries kick off the new Premier League season with an opening day clash at Anfield
On the back of a fine campaign last season, Liverpool will be looking to write history in 2019-20 as they kick off the new Premier League campaign against freshly-promoted Norwich City.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds missed out on the domestic title by a mere fraction three months ago to Manchester City, but the Champions League holders will back themselves to clear that final hurdle as they begin their latest crusade for the crown.
Having already crossed swords with the Citizens once in the Community Shield, they now turn their attention to ensuring an opening weekend win against Daniel Farke’s Canaries, who know they face a difficult battle to remain at English football’s top table following their surprise Championship success in 2018-19.
The pair, both of whom coached in the set-up at Borussia Dortmund in their native Germany, have been full of praise for the other ahead of their encounter – but any professional admiration and respect is surely set to be benched as they begin their pursuits of greatness once again.
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
In the UK, the match will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, and available to stream on Sky Go.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Premier League | Sky Go |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Liverpool squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Alisson, Adrian, Kelleher |
| Defenders | Van Dijk, Matip, Lovren, Alexander-Arnold, Robertson, Gomez, Hoever, Van den Berg, Phillips |
| Midfielders | Henderson, Milner, Keita, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Lallana, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilson, Jones, Kent, Elliott, Chirivella, Ejaria |
| Forwards | Salah, Firmino, Mane, Shaqiri, Origi, Brewster, Awoniyi |
Jurgen Klopp is thought to be only missing Nathaniel Clyne, who is set to sit out the rest of 2019 with knee ligament damage that he sustained in the club’s pre-season tour of the USA.
Otherwise, the German may very well name a similar squad to the one that faced City at Wembley just under a week ago, though Sadio Mane is available off the bench
Confirmed Liverpool starting XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Henderson; Salah, Firmino, Origi.
| Position | Norwich squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Krul, Fahrmann, McGovern |
| Defenders | Aarons, Byram, Hanley, Zimmermann, Lewis, Klose, Heise |
| Midfielders | Godfrey, Roberts, Vrancic, Leitner, Hernandez, Cantwell, Buendia, Stiepermann, Trybull, McLean, Amadou, Tettey, Thompson |
| Forwards | Drmic, Pukki, Srbeny, Idah |
Confirmed Norwich City starting XI: Krul; Aarons, Godfrey, Hanley, Lewis; Cantwell, Buendia, Stiepermann, Trybull; Pukki, McLean.
Betting & Match Odds
Liverpool are heavy odds-on favourites to take the win at 1/7 favourites with bet365 . Norwich are priced at a distant 20/1 while a draw is available at 17/2.
Match Preview
Liverpool know that they face a tough task to repeat their heroics of last season once again, but they will be hopeful of making a winning start following their near-miss against Manchester City when they host newly-promoted Norwich City to kick off the 2019-20 Premier League season at Anfield this weekend.
Jurgen Klopp’s team achieved one of the highest points totals in top-flight history last season while clinching more wins than Pep Guardiola’s side overall – yet they still came up short to the Citizens at the end of the season.
Daniel Farke’s Canaries meanwhile faced something of a reverse situation, trailing Leeds United for much of the campaign before vaulting over the Whites in the final few months to cement their position as unexpected Championship winners.
Both managers have professed their admiration for each other, adding an extra layer of intrigue as the pair of former Borrusia Dortmund coaches prepare to square off to start their latest challenges for success.
But it is upon Klopp that expectation surely rests, after a Champions League victory against Tottenham in June that preceded something of a rocky pre-season run of form, leading up to their Community Shield penalty shoot-out loss to City.
After a particularly quiet transfer window too, one which saw the Reds eschew any big-name pursuits with only a handful of new faces added for minimal cost, the German has defended his approach , stating that he feels his side are still able to comfortably challenge following their success last season.
“The big teams of the past – and I don’t say we are a big team now, that will be decided in a couple of years – they stay together for a number of years,” he stated in his pre-match press briefing .
“They do not need a lot of changes. Manchester United had the class of ’92. How long did they stay together? They changed a few after [Eric] Cantona got older and brought in Van the Man [Ruud van Nistelrooy] or whoever. You do not change completely.
“We are a good team together in a very difficult league with a lot of competitors desperate to get the position we are in. Nobody knows how it will look exactly but Sunday showed we will be fine and the rest is what we make of it.”
Farke meanwhile has vowed to give Liverpool a sterner test than they may expect, though he hailed them as one of the premier sides across the globe.
“They are one of the best teams in the world. For me, probably the best at the moment,” he stated.
“It is the toughest task you can get to start. It’s the first time they play back at Anfield after winning the Champions League title so there will be lots of optimism and they will be focused.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Jurgen Klopp. He’s a world-class coach, and the job he’s done at Liverpool is outstanding.
“We know we are the underdog and not the big favourite but we won’t raise the white flag. One thing I can promise is that we will be greedy to be there with a good performance, but also a good result.”
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