Watford vs. Liverpool
Venue: Vicarage Road
Kick off: 12:30pm
Liverpool begin their 2017-18 campaign with a trip to take on Watford at Vicarage Road today at lunchtime, aiming to continue their impressive opening-day form.
The Reds have won each of their last four curtain-raising fixtures to a Premier League campaign, having previously gone four without victory, while their opponents are seeking maximum points on matchday one for the first time in five attempts.
Watford has averaged more than 20 signings a season over the past five years, it has come as no great surprise to see another turnover in playing personnel – as well as management – at Vicarage Road this summer.
Out went Walter Mazzarri, taking with him his bland style of play which ultimately failed to make any sort of impact – the Hornets conceded 18 goals more last season than 2015-16.
For all of Mazzarri’s critics, though, the Italian guided his side into the top half of the table come April and reached the magical 40-point mark with six games still to play, even if the style of play was too much to take for some supporters.
On the other hand, the excitement of Champions League football returning to Anfield this term, Liverpool supporters – and not least boss Jurgen Klopp – know that the extra strain of European commitments could have a massive impact on the club’s league form.
That proved to be the case the last time the Reds qualified for the showpiece competition, taking just seven points from the six matches immediately after European fixtures, with those fears only enhanced by Klopp’s favoured gegenpressing style of play.
After taking 39 points from 48 on offer in the final four months of 2016, the Merseyside outfit were on course to end their top-flight hoodoo in 2016-17 as they were hot on Chelsea’s heels at the top come the start of the New Year.
All of a sudden, Klopp could only hope for a top-four finish at best and, having achieved exactly that, the German’s first full campaign at Anfield must surely go down as a success on the whole.
Watford Possible XI: Gomes, Janmaat, Prodl, Britos, Holebas, Hughes, Chalobah; Amrabat, Capoue, Cleverley; Gray.
Liverpool Possible XI: Mignolet; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Matip, Moreno; Can, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Mane, Firmino, Salah.