[Date]

Date :Wednesday 14th August
Time:8:00pm
Stadium Vodafone Park
Referee Stephanie Frappart (France)
Goal Scorer:

Team News:

Liverpool
On a night when the only question marks floated over several players who had scarcely had a summer break, Liverpool blitzed Norwich in the first half at Anfield on Friday night to ensure the Premier League's opening game was completed as a contest by the interval.

One of the players whose readiness had been questioned was Mohamed Salah, but the formidable striker scored the second goal and formed part of a Liverpool strikeforce that looked ready to terrorise all but the most resolute of rearguards again this time around.

Norwich regrouped at half time, ironing out their early defensive naivety to restore respectability to a scoreline that would have become humiliating had their hosts built upon the four goals they scored in the first 42 minutes.

In spite of conceding a crafty consolation at the hands of opposition dangerman Teemu Pukki, ruthless Liverpool showed no signs of fatigue following a hard-touring summer that included international tournaments for several of their stars.

While Jurgen Klopp will vociferously object to any suggestions of complacency, the fixtures may have fallen kindly for him. A trip to Southampton - buried 3-0 by Burnley on Saturday - looms at the weekend.

Istanbul holds special memories and future ambitions for the club. The city's Ataturk Olympic Stadium was the setting for Liverpool's remarkable 2005 Champions League final win over AC Milan, and the season closer will return there in 2020, while Wednesday's final will be held at Vodafone Park, the home of Besiktas.

With a capacity of just over 41,000 and many fans perhaps feeling the stretch of another trip to a faraway showpiece game, Klopp and his team might not anticipate the kind of backing they enjoyed when they beat Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League final in May.

The momentum of maintaining a winning run could be essential as Liverpool look to compete again with title holders Manchester City, in menacing form themselves during their 5-0 rout of West Ham United on Saturday.

Striker Divock Origi got off the mark against Norwich and spoke of the squad's desire to win in Istanbul in his post-match comments, his words echoed in the aftermath by full-back Andrew Robertson.

Recent form: W
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Adrian; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Milner; Salah, Origi, Mane

Chelsea
Less than 48 hours after Liverpool's flying start, Chelsea sunk without trace in the second half at Old Trafford with a fallible display in a 4-0 defeat to Manchester United.

Having been expected to threaten United, Chelsea hit the woodwork twice before half time but could ultimately take little comfort from their near misses as Marcus Rashford's early penalty and 67th-minute strike paved the way for a comfortable win for the home side.

A summer of optimism has surely given way to a realisation of the task ahead of him for new Blues manager Frank Lampard. The outcome could have been entirely different had Chelsea capitalised on their early chances, but their defensive failings were repeatedly punished during a grim second period.

Lampard captained Chelsea in their Super Cup defeats in 2012 and 2013. In their first appearance since they won the 1998 final with a Gus Poyet goal against Real Madrid, Chelsea were 4-0 down inside an hour against Atletico Madrid before Gary Cahill registered a late reply.

A year later, the tale was much tighter. Fernando Torres's early strike was cancelled out by Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery, and only a last-gasp goal by Javi Martinez denied Chelsea glory after Eden Hazard had restored their lead three minutes into extra time.

Romelu Lukaku missed the final spot kick in a shootout that included a conversion by Lampard, and the club legend will be hoping to see his side back to winning ways within 90 minutes ahead of an important weekend in which they host Leicester City.

That opening loss was the heaviest defeat for a Chelsea manager in their first game in charge since Danny Blanchflower lost 7-2 at Middlesbrough in 1978, and perhaps the only man with Chelsea connections to have raised a wry smile at Sunday's result will have been recently-departed boss Maurizio Sarri.

The result will have stung the Europa League holders, although there was enough to suggest they can trouble the likes of Liverpool should they respond to chances more clinically.

Recent form: L

Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Arrizabalaga; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Zouma, Emerson; Jorginho, Kovacic; Pedro, Mount, Pulisic; Giroud

Head To Head
Giroud and Chelsea would take a repeat of the goal by the France forward that gave them victory over Liverpool in May 2018. Happily for Liverpool, that was their only loss to these opponents in their last nine league meetings.

There have been some epic Champions League clashes between these two. Liverpool won with the only goal of the tie when they beat Chelsea in the semi-finals on their way to glory in Istanbul in 2005.

Two years later, Lampard was the only Chelsea scorer in the shootout at Anfield as the sides exchanged 1-0 wins before Liverpool edged through with a 4-1 victory on penalties. They lost 2-1 to AC Milan in the final.

An extra-time Lampard penalty set Chelsea on their way to a narrow 4-3 win in the 2008 semi-finals before they were beaten in the final by Manchester United.

Chelsea won 3-1 at Anfield in the quarter-finals a year later, going through after a 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge that included a double from Lampard.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea

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