Ipswich Town are back in the Premier League for the first time in 22 years and the Tractor Boys host Liverpool at Portman Road on Saturday.
What a start back in the big league: They host Liverpool and then travel to reigning champions Manchester City in their first two games.
WATCH IPSWICH TOWN VS LIVERPOOL LIVE
Kieran McKenna has done an incredible job securing two consecutive promotions from the third tier to the Premier League. Last season Ipswich defied all expectations and achieved direct promotion to the top flight. They are direct, determined on the counter and exciting to watch with plenty of drama in the closing stages. Ipswich will bring something very different to the Premier League this season. You could think of them as a strengthened Luton Town.
Liverpool will also be very different this season, with Jürgen Klopp no longer there and Arne Slot beginning his first season as manager of the Reds. There will be subtle changes to the style of play and the majority of the squad has remained the same, so Slot is more about evolution than revolution. Still, expectations are high, with Liverpool back in the Champions League and looking to challenge for the title again, just as they did until the final month of last season before Man City and Arsenal caught up and left Liverpool behind.
How to watch Ipswich Town vs Liverpool, stream link and start time
Start: 7:30 a.m. ET, Saturday (August 17)
stadium: Portman Street
TV channels: USA Network
On-line: Watch it on NBC.com
Ipswich Town team news and focus
The star player to watch out for is Omari Hutchinson, as the winger was on loan from Chelsea last season and shook up the Championship. Ipswich have signed him permanently and 20-year-old Hutchinson is their main striker. Otherwise, they have an experienced midfield (Massimo Luongo and Sam Morsy) and Leif Davis is an attacking left-back who will cause Premier League defences plenty of problems. Ipswich have some injury problems to deal with, however, with strikers George Hirst and Nathan Broadhead out for the first few months of the season, while defender Harry Clarke is also missing.
Liverpool team news, focus
Andy Robertson missed pre-season with an ankle injury but will be back soon, while Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones are out. Arne Slot has evolved Liverpool’s game over the summer months to be a little slower in possession and allow more rotation in midfield and attack, giving players like Mohamed Salah more freedom to move. Diogo Jota has looked good, as has Luis Diaz, both of whom scored beautiful goals in last weekend’s friendly win over Sevilla. Players like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Darwin Nunez and Alexis Mac Allister are only just returning to action but should all be in the starting line-up this weekend.
Prediction for Ipswich Town vs Liverpool
There is a hint of an upset in the air, but it feels like Liverpool’s strikers are giving Ipswich a nasty taste of what’s to come in the Premier League. Ipswich Town 1-3 Liverpool.
