Chelsea vs Liverpool - LIVE!
Sadio Mane scored twice as Liverpool exploited Chelsea's frailties to win 2-0 on Sunday, a second successive triumph at the start of the Premier League title defence.
A tepid game swung in Liverpool's favour after Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen was sent off at the end of the first half for hauling down Mane.
And as the champions pressed immediately after the break, Mane took five minutes to head in the opener after an interchange between Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.
Yet another blunder by Kepa Arrizabalaga gifted Liverpool a second. The Chelsea goalkeeper stopped Fikayo Tomori's back pass before trying to clear to Jorginho. But it was easily intercepted by Mane to slot into the net.
Chelsea did gain an unexpected chance to stage a comeback when Thiago Alcantara on his Liverpool debut brought down Timo Werner but Jorginho's penalty was saved by Alisson.
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Kovacic returns for Chelsea
Frank Lampard makes just one change to the side that beat Brighton on Monday night as Matteo Kovacic returns from suspension for the red card he picked up in last season's FA Cup final.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is the man to make way and is not even among the substitutes.
Fabinho at centre-back, Thiago on bench
Liverpool are without both Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, both with minor injuries, and with Dejan Lovren having left in the summer it means Fabinho will slot in at centre-back alongside Virgil Van Dijk.
Beyond that, they are unchanged from the side that started the win over Leeds last weekend, but new signing Thiago Alcantara is on the bench.
Confirmed teams
Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, van Dijk, Robertson, Keita, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Salah, Firmino, Mane
Subs: Thiago, Milner, Adrian, Jones, Minamino, Tsimikas, Origi
Confirmed teams
Chelsea XI: Arrizabalaga, James, Christensen, Zouma, Alonso, Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic, Mount, Havertz, Werner
Subs: Barkley, Abraham, Caballero, Tomori, Giroud, Hudson-Odoi, Azpilicueta
Early team news
Unconfirmed reports that Antonio Rudiger is not in the Chelsea squad today despite being match fit, raising doubts over his future.
Meanwhile, Ruben Loftus-Cheek is expected to be starting on the bench.
Lampard vs Klopp rivalry?
Photo: Getty Images
Frank Lampard insists there is no bad blood between himself and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, speaking to reporters on Friday.
The pair clashed last season during Liverpool’s 5-3 win at Anfield, exchanging heated words on the sideline. Lampard and Klopp will on Sunday come face to face for the first time since when the Premier League champions come to Stamford Bridge.
In the build-up to the match, Klopp has been swift to downplay any talk of a rivalry between him and Lampard – who has now followed suit.
“That’s probably the nature of the world we live,” said Lampard. “There is a lot of airtime for you on talkSPORT to have to fill with these sort of rivalries, so I understand that sometimes they can be scrutinised in every possible way.
“I just reiterate what Jurgen Klopp said from his part. I have got a huge amount of respect for him as a manager, I always have done.
“What he has done at Liverpool in the time that he has been there is incredible – and that’s on him as the focal point of the club and the individual talent in the squad that they’ve brought in.
“So there is nothing in it for me. The competitive nature of the 90 minutes can always slightly boil over in different directions, but the respect I have for Jurgen Klopp would never change.”
Predicted XIs
Confirmed line-ups to come in just over an hour.
Liverpool team news
Liverpool managed to register the paperwork in time for new signing Thiago Alcantara to be available for Sunday's trip to Chelsea.
Although the £20million deal for the Bayern Munich midfielder was not announced until late on Friday afternoon the formalities had already been completed in advance for the Spain international to join the squad if manager Jurgen Klopp requires.
Thiago would most likely start on the bench if selected but fellow midfielder Fabinho could start at the expense of Naby Keita.
Liverpool provisional squad: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Henderson, Salah, Firmino, Mane, Adrian, Williams, Matip, Thiago, Milner, Keita, Jones, Origi, Minamino.
Chelsea team news
Hakim Ziyech, Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva will all miss out for Chelsea.
The new recruits must wait for their league debuts for the Blues, with Ziyech still nursing a knee complaint, Chilwell a heel issue and Silva searching for match fitness.
Christian Pulisic is still to shake off a hamstring problem, but striker Timo Werner is fit, having eased past a dead leg picked up at Brighton on Monday.
Provisional squad: Kepa, James, Christensen, Zouma, Alonso, Kante, Jorginho, Havertz, Mount, Loftus-Cheek, Werner, Caballero, Rudiger, Azpilicueta, Kovacic, Barkley, Hudson-Odoi, Abraham, Giroud.
Welcome to the Evening Standard's LIVE coverage of the Premier League clash between Chelsea and Liverpool.
We have Jack Rosser at Stamford Bridge, with Malik Ouzia guiding you through the action.
Stick with us for all the build-up, action and reaction.
