Liverpool will face off against Chelsea at the BJK Vodafone Park on Wednesday night looking to lift the famous UEFA Super Cup trophy away at Istanbul. The Reds come into this clash at the back of an impressive 4-1 win over Norwich City in the opening night of the Premier League campaign. On the other hand, the Pensioners suffered a 4-0 loss at the hands of Manchester United and will be desperate to bounce back against the Merseyside giants.
We can expect an entertaining contest between the UEFA Champions League winners and the UEFA Europa League champions as both sides try to get the better of each other in search of more European glory this summer.
Talking Tactics
Jurgen Klopp might choose to stick with his favoured 4-3-3 formation with Divock Origi keeping his place in the Liverpool frontline. The German head coach would need his players to press high up the pitch so that Liverpool can win back possession quickly and hit Chelsea on the counter. Sadio Mane will get a chance to make an impact off the Reds bench if Klopp needs a goal in the second half.
Frank Lampard is expected to opt for a 4-2-3-1 set-up and could call upon the services of Christian Pulisic to add more productivity to his frontline. The Chelsea boss would hope that his players can get a stranglehold in the game and make it tough for Liverpool to break them down at the back.
Team News
Liverpool
Alisson Becker is out of action with a calf injury which could keep him sidelined for up to eight weeks. Losing the Brazilian keeper will hurt Liverpool’s chances heading into this game. However, Klopp will have Adrian to fill in the shoes of his number one keeper.
Barring Alisson’s injury, the Reds will have a full squad to choose from ahead of this Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup clash against Chelsea.
Liverpool Predicted XI
Adrian; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil Van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; James Milner, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; Divock Origi, Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah
Chelsea
Frank Lampard will be without the services of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi as they are still spending time on the treatment table. Both Willian and Antonio Rudiger are major doubts for this game, so they will be in a race against time to be fit for tomorrow’s European clash in Turkey.
Chelsea Predicted XI
Kepa Arrizabalaga; Cesar Azpilicueta, Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen, Emerson Palmieri; NGolo Kante, Jorginho, Ross Barkley; Christian Pulisic, Olivier Giroud, Pedro
Key Men
Liverpool
Even though Salah and Firmino are expected to do most of the damage up top, Origi could be a real handful for the Pensioners. The Belgian striker is in a rich vein of form and would fancy his chances of scoring if the Chelsea defenders allow him time and space to cause problems in the offensive end of the field.
Van Dijk will also need to put in an improved defensive shift if the Reds are to secure a clean sheet against Lampard’s men in midweek.
Chelsea
Pulisic will have to step up and make a difference if Chelsea are to claim a positive result away at Istanbul. The former Borussia Dortmund talent might have to link up with Giroud and Pedro as they look to strike up a solid understanding with each other and get the better of the Liverpool defenders tomorrow night.
The centre-back partnership between Zouma and Christensen need to be at their best if they are to stop the Merseyside outfit from scoring at the BJK Vodafone Park.
Odds
The bookies have made Liverpool the clear favourites to emerge victorious versus the Pensioners in midweek after they were priced at 8/13. The draw is listed as 16/5 while Chelsea are as big as 17/4 to pull off an upset as the underdogs in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday night.
