The English Premier League is back in business and one of the first matches of the season will see last season’s champions Liverpool take on newly promoted Leeds United at Anfield. TV broadcast and live stream will be secured in UK territory.
Last season, Jurgen Klopp’s men also played host to a newly promoted side in the shape of Norwich City. Unfortunately, the Canaries were unable to build on a promising start to life in top flight English football and were relegated back to the Championship.
The game is set to take place on today, Saturday, September 12, 2020.
However, expectations are different from Leeds United who pretty much waltzed their way towards top place in the Championship and as a consequence, got themselves an automatic spot in the 2020/21 Premier League campaign.
While most people would expect this to be a walk in the park for Liverpool who are expected to once again dominate the league, this couldn’t be any further from the truth.
Leeds United are finally back in the Premier League after a 16 year exile and Marcelo Bielsa’s men return to the league as potential giant killers.
The Whites have lost only once in their last 15 matches and we’re certain that Bielsa will have quite a few tricks up his sleeve as the Argentine tactician looks to make things difficult for the top sides in the league.
Where to watch Liverpool v Leeds in the UK
Where to watch on TV
Viewers in the UK can watch Liverpool v Leeds live on Sky Sports where they can see live football on TV throughout the Premier League season.
The game will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.
Where to watch Liverpool v Leeds live stream
Users in the UK can also watch the Liverpool v Leeds live stream on NowTV.
The match will also be covered by Leeds Live from Anfield.
It would also be a mistake to consider Leeds United a side that would simply roll over. Bielsa’s team is more than just a side that won promotion and aims to survive. In the last two season, Leeds United have gone through something of a metamorphosis under the former Athletic Bilbao manager.
This Leeds side has been trained well and is a group of fit individuals whose endurance levels are off the charts. Indeed, the high pressing and relentless approach towards the game requires these players to be in peak physical condition.
Leeds love to play attacking football and have a talented group of players who understand Bielsa’s instructions perfectly.
However, this doesn’t mean that Liverpool should expect to be on the wrong side of an upset. While they haven’t invested as freely as the likes of Chelsea or Manchester City in the transfer window, Jurgen Klopp’s side are as formidable as they were last season.
In Sadio Mane, Mohammed Salah and Robert Firmino, the Merseysiders have the best attack in the country. The attacking trio loves scoring goals and would be eager to get off the mark as quickly as possible.
Moreover, the presence of buccaneering Trent Alexander Arnold and Andrew Robertson means that the Leeds defense will have its work cut out and they will be stretched quite a bit.
If that was not enough, Liverpool’s defense does not take kindly to being scored against and in Virgil van Dijk they have the best defender in Europe at the moment.
Team news
Club captain Jordan Henderson is a major doubt for the season opener after the Englishman missed out on preseason and the Community Shield due to a knee injury. These aren’t ideal circumstances but Klopp is likely to wait for his midfielder to pass a late fitness test to feature against the newly promoted outfit.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain suffered a knee injury during the club’s preseason tour of Austria and is set to miss out on the game. Klopp hasn’t specified a return date yet.
Summer signing, Konstantinos Tsimikas tested positive for coronavirus while he was on international duty with Greece so the midfielder will have to wait to make his Premier League bow.
Xherdan Shaqiri
The Swiss has been hotly linked with a move away from Anfield and is currently out injured.
Leeds United have a fully fit squad to choose from so expect Bielsa to field a similar squad that romped its way towards Premier League qualification last season.
Editor’s tip
It would be interesting to see how these teams start their campaign and we expect both sides to take some time in finding their rhythm. However, Liverpool would be eager to settle in quickly before the chasing pack starts breathing down their neck.
The game is likely to be an open one and Bielsa would be eager to see his players take the game to the reigning champions who will be wary of the threat Leeds pose.
Nonetheless, we do expect Liverpool to come out on top but the game is going to be a difficult one either way.
