Preview: Liverpool vs Norwich City – Tips, Team Updates, Queuing

The 2019-20 season of the Premier League will begin Friday night with last season's finalists Liverpool take on newly promoted Norwich City at Anfield.

Jurgen KloppThe European champions will enter the match as favorite favorites with three points early in another challenge expected for the title, providing a discouraging test for Norwich on their return to the top.

Liverpool

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The old adage says that no one remembers second place, but the 2018-19 Liverpool campaign could prove to be an exception to this rule.

The Klopp Reds have recorded the third highest number of points in the history of the Premier League and have been beaten only once in the season, but they have still been beaten by a compelling team from Manchester City.

If Man City wants to continue its momentum, the first indications are that Liverpool will lead them closely. Sunday's Community Shield saw the Merseysiders lead the triple winners to the penalties before Georginio WijnaldumThe miss has proven to be expensive.

Of course, we can only learn so much from the community shield, but Klopp will be confident that his team is able to have much more without having been the top scorer of last season. Sadio Mane.

The disappointment of missing the title last season was also softened by the glory of the Champions League. The match on Friday allowed them to return to the competition for the first time since that night in Madrid.

One question that weighs on Liverpool is whether they have made enough progress against their rivals during the summer. While Man City, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester United all broke transfer records, Liverpool has only recruited two promising young players and a veteran goalkeeper.

Things might have been better on the field in pre-season, Liverpool losing three and winning just one of their five friendlies against top European clubs.

Fortunately for the Reds, the statistics suggest they could not have been more docile than Norwich at home.

Liverpool is undefeated in their last 25 home games against the Premier League-promoted teams – in a run of 40 undefeated matches at Anfield – while it's registering a very good record recently against Norwich .

Only Manchester United has beaten the Canaries more often in the Premier League era and Liverpool has often done so with style, scoring exactly five goals in four of his last six games.

Norwich fans will be relieved not to see the main protagonist of these games – Luis Suarez – on the team sheet for Liverpool this time, but the attacking trident of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Mane may be able to do even more damage.

Recent form: LLDLWL

Norwich

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Given their recent record against Liverpool, this is perhaps the most difficult fire baptism Norwich could have scored in his first Premier League match.

Still a leading team for the first time since 2015-2016, the Canaries were a bit of a surprise pack by winning the league title last season, having finished only 14th the year before.

The euphoria of this triumph will have lasted during the summer, however, and one could say that the opening day of the season is actually the best time to face such daunting opposition.

Norwich has had a mixed pre-season in the accumulation of what will be director Daniel FarkeFirst taste of high-level football in all countries during his career, winning three wins, two losses and one of their five friendlies.

Some of these victories have led to believe that they can compete with the big players, especially the victories on Schalke 04 and Toulouse – the latter being their last outing.

In terms of transfers, Norwich has taken a discreet approach of spending less than £ 4 million for the purchase of new players. The most expensive of them was the purchase of £ 750,000 of Sam Byram from West Ham United.

It is far from the nine-figure sum spent by Aston Villa, another newly-promoted team, although Norwich can vindicate Fulham's fate last season as proof that big expenses do not always result in survival at the most. high level.

Nevertheless, this frugality strengthened their status as second favorite to suffer relegation immediately to the championship, Sheffield United being the only team considered the most likely to fail by the bookmakers.

Farke is sufficiently grounded to know that the opening of this season might not provide a glimpse of what will happen. Norwich had just one point in his first three league games last season, and only one win after his first five games, before winning the title.

Indeed, the Canaries posted a disappointing record during the first day of recent years, having won only one of their last 16 games, regardless of their division.

The chances of improving this record on Friday will be enormous, but any defeat other than defeat could also give them the conviction they might need against the big teams, as they will also face Chelsea and Manchester City in their first five games .

Recent form: DWLWLW

News from the team

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Mane has played no role in the pre-season after helping Senegal to make it to the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, and it remains to be seen whether he will be directly engaged in the match for this match.

The winner of the Golden Boot Premier League has joined his teammates earlier this week after an extended break, but Klopp could choose to use the Champions League hero Divock Origi at the front to give Mane more time to get back into gear.

Mane has a great record on the first day but has scored in each of his last three curtain raisers in the Premier League – only Teddy Sheringham never succeeded four times in a row.

Names of stars such as Salah, Firmino and Virgil van Dijk should start in what should be a team similar to Liverpool to the one who played against Man City at Wembley on Sunday.

James Milner is questionable after hitting that match, even though it's unlikely he's starting to face his old club even though he's in top form.

Norwich, meanwhile, will be without Christoph Zimmermann, Alex Tettey and Louis Thompson for the first game of the season, although the trio should all resume training this month.

Timm Klose is also doubtful with a hip problem but should recover in time to appear.

The Canaries will be among the top 30 scorers of last season Teemu Pukki as their man most likely to thwart the defense of Liverpool, while the arrival of the summer Patrick Roberts Hope to make an early favor to the parent Man City club if he has the opportunity.

Liverpool possible on departure:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Henderson; Salah, Firmino, Origi

Norwich possible at departure:
Krul; Aarons, Klose, Godfrey, Byram; McLean, Vrancic; Buendia, Stiepermann, Hernandez; Pukki

Head-to-head

The head-to-head record is not good for Norwich in this match, with Liverpool unbeaten against the Canaries in 12 games since 1994.

Liverpool scored 39 goals in those matches, 10 of which were won – the latest being a thrilling 5-4 victory at Carrow Road in January 2016.

It was one of four chances Liverpool had scored five goals against Norwich since 2012 and, unsurprisingly, the Canaries have conceded more goals against Liverpool than any other Premier League team.

We say: Liverpool 3-0 Norwich

It's hard to see a convincing win for Liverpool on day one in this match. It's also difficult for Norwich to start his campaign. Liverpool is apparently better in the whole park and we expect a routine triumph for the locals.