THE Mauricio Pochettino era will begin at Chelsea on Sunday as Liverpool travel to Stamford Bridge.
Last season was a campaign to forget for the Blues after finishing 12th in the Premier League table.
Pochettino has been tasked to bring new life to his star-studded Chelsea squad and get the club back in the Champions League.
The former Tottenham boss has brought in forward Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal who has impressed in pre-season.
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool will be aiming to challenge for the Premier League title again after last season’s hiccup.
The Reds have seen some key men leave the club this summer with the likes of Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino all leaving the club.
Klopp has brought in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai but remain light on numbers in midfield ahead of Sunday’s Premier League opener.
Christopher Nkunku is likely to miss the first few weeks of the season after the Frenchman picked up an injury during Chelsea’s friendly against Borussia Dortmund.
Trevoh Chalobah also picked up a knock in pre-season and is a doubt for the Blues’ Premier League opener.
Pochettino will definitely be without long-term absentees Wesley Fofana, Armando Broja, Marcus Bettinelli and Benoit Badiashile.
Meanwhile, Thiago hasn’t featured for Liverpool in pre-season and will likely miss the trip to Stamford Bridge.
New signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have featured heavily in midfield together during pre-season and both will be pushing to start on Sunday.
