Ipswich Town will face Liverpool in their first Premier League match in over 22 years when they meet in a highly anticipated lunchtime clash today.
The Tractor Boys have been propelled back to the top flight following consecutive promotions under the guidance of manager Kieran McKenna, achieving this remarkable feat faster than anyone could have predicted.
Rather than overhauling their squad, Ipswich have largely relied on the players who earned them promotion, with only a few new additions during the summer transfer window – certainly fewer than some recently promoted clubs have opted for.
Omar Hutchinson’s £20 million permanent signing, following his successful loan spell, headlines their transfer activity, alongside deals for Liam Delap, Ben Johnson, Conor Townsend, and Jacob Greaves.
Additionally, last season’s Championship top scorer, Sammie Szmodics, completed a move from Blackburn Rovers on Friday, just in time to be eligible for this game.
Manchester City loanee Kalvin Phillips also joins the ranks, further bolstering Ipswich’s squad for the new campaign.
On the other hand, Liverpool are set to embark on a new chapter under manager Arne Slot, who takes charge of his first competitive match following the departure of long-serving boss Jurgen Klopp.
Slot has chosen an “evolution-not-revolution” approach, with no new signings made so far – most notably after missing out on Martin Zubimendi.
Despite this, Liverpool remain stacked with talent, coming off the back of an impressive pre-season campaign, providing plenty of optimism ahead of the new season.
Slot said ahead of the game: “Not harder than if you had to prepare for a team that was in the Premier League for 22 years, because we also saw their games from last season and we saw their games in pre-season.
“So I don’t think that is more difficult than if they would have been in the Premier League for a long time.
“It is true that a newly promoted club, there is a lot of positivity around a club like this.
“As people told me, every game in the Premier League is going to be an intense game and there are no easy games.
“That’s something that we can expect tomorrow as well – a promoted team that only had a lot of positives in recent years will come up against us [and are] really looking forward to it.
“But we are really looking forward to the game as well.
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister; Salah, Jota, Diaz.
Subs: Kelleher, Endo, Konate, Nunez, Jones, Gakpo, Elliott, Tsimikas, Bradley.
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