The 2019 UEFA Super Cup pits UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool against UEFA Europa League champions Chelsea, in an all-English clash set for Wednesday 14 August 2019 at the Vodafone Park in Istanbul, Turkey.
Both teams will come into the game off the back of their opening 2019/20 Premier League encounters, with Liverpool at home to Norwich City and Chelsea away to Manchester United on the weekend prior.
Liverpool are making their sixth appearance in the Super Cup and a first since 2005. They are three-time winners of the trophy (1977, 2001, 2005) and looking to join Spanish giants Real Madrid on a tally of four Super Cup titles.
Can Liverpool replicate their Champions League form?
The Reds have remained unchanged from the team which won the Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur back in June, with manager Jurgen Klopp insisting that they have the strength in depth to compete at the top level again – though there will be concern about long-term fatigue for their first-choice front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, all of whom played at international tournaments through the offseason.
Another ‘Acid’ test for Frank Lampard
Chelsea will be making their fourth appearance in the Super Cup. The London side won the competition on debut in 1998 but lost in back-to-back showings in 2012 and 2013.
The Blues have had an offseason of great upheaval, with manager Maurizio Sarri departing to Juventus and star player Eden Hazard sold to Real Madrid.
With a transfer ban in place, new boss and club legend Frank Lampard will be forced to place more faith in the club’s youth system than would usually be the case, but fortunately Chelsea have some of the best up-and-coming talent in England, exemplified by Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Players To Watch
Chelsea – Christian Pulisic
Signed in January this year before Chelsea were hit by a transfer ban, winger Christian Pulisic has the tough task of trying to fill the boots of Eden Hazard. The young American has immense potential but is currently something of an unpolished diamond.
Liverpool – Mohamed Salah
Most pundits expected Mohamed Salah to be sluggish and slow at the start of the 2019/20 season, having effectively played two straight years of football without a proper break (due to last year’s World Cup and the recently-concluded Africa Cup of Nations). However, the Egyptian forward looked energised and sharp in Liverpool’s FA Community Shield match against Manchester City and he will be eager to prove his form with goals against his former team Chelsea, and help the Reds win the Super Cup for a fourth time in their history.
Head-to-Head Stats
In head-to-head terms, Liverpool and Chelsea have met in 172 matches. The Reds have claimed 72 wins compared to 59 for the Blues, while 41 games have been drawn. The teams’ most recent meetings were in the Premier League last season, with Liverpool taking four points off Chelsea thanks to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge and 2-0 win at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp vs. Frank Lampard
Jurgen Klopp reached the pinnacle of his managerial career in June when his Liverpool team lifted the prestigious UEFA Champions League trophy, but you can bet the German will be determined to see his team improve and challenge Manchester City domestically. While such heady goals are beyond new Chelsea man Frank Lampard right now, the club legend will hope to bring home the UEFA Super Cup as a first piece of silverware in what he hopes will be a long and successful spell at Stamford Bridge.
DStv subscribers can see the match live on SuperSport 3, with kick-off at 08:00 WAT.
Barcelona and AC Milan are the most successful teams in Super Cup history, winning the trophy five times each, while Real Madrid (four), Liverpool, Atletico Madrid (three each), Ajax, Anderlecht, Valencia and Juventus (two each) complete the list of clubs to have won the Super Cup more than once.
Anthony Nlebem
