Liverpool eye Super Cup boost
Jurgen Klopp wants Liverpool to make winning trophies a habit as they head back to Istanbul – the scene of one of the club’s greatest triumphs – to take on Premier League rivals Chelsea in the Uefa Super Cup on Wednesday.
The Anfield club memorably defeated AC Milan on penalties to win the Champions League by the Bosphorus back in 2005, and now they face Chelsea in the Turkish city after becoming European champions for the sixth time in June.
The traditional curtain-raiser to the European season may not be taken entirely seriously by everyone, but neither club will turn their noses up at the chance of lifting more silverware, with Liverpool having just ended a seven-year trophy drought and Frank Lampard eager to kickstart his Chelsea managerial career.
The clubs have won the competition four times between them, but nine of the last 10 winners of the Super Cup have come from Spain.
Among the other protagonists on Wednesday will be Stephanie Frappart, with the French official becoming the first woman to referee a major men’s match in European competition.
Frappart will nevertheless be happy to stay out of the limelight once the match at the Vodafone Park, home of Besiktas, kicks off, with Liverpool favourites against a Chelsea side reeling from their 4-0 defeat at Manchester United in their Premier League opener.
After losing on penalties to Manchester City in the Community Shield, Liverpool began their league campaign with a comfortable 4-1 win over Norwich City with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Divock Origi all scoring.
The result was somewhat overshadowed by the loss of Alisson Becker, with Klopp confirming the formidable Brazil goalkeeper will be out for a while with a calf injury.
Spaniard Adrian will deputise in Alisson’s absence, and Klopp is hopeful his team can build on their win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League final in Madrid.
“Stay greedy,” Klopp said when asked how his side could build on that success.
Reds fans will be tempted by the possibility of a third successive Champions League final appearance, back in Istanbul at the end of the campaign.
They will hope the Super Cup will prelude the side finally going all the way in the Premier League.
“We don’t want to just stop at the Champions League, that’s all we’ve won as a group of players,” Andy Robertson told the club’s website.
“This is our next opportunity to do so and it’d be great if we can take it.”
Chelsea earned the fixture thanks to victory over Arsenal in the Europa League final, but much has changed since then.
Coach Maurizio Sarri and star player Eden Hazard have left, and club legend Lampard is now in charge, handed the reins at Stamford Bridge despite just one season’s managerial experience in the second tier with Derby County.
The prospect of winning a trophy in just his second competitive match with the club is an enticing one, although they could be forgiven for coming into this match with a sense of trepidation after their hammering at Old Trafford.