The 2023-24 Premier League season will get underway on the second weekend in August and there is plenty of anticipation building ahead of the new campaign. Defending champions Manchester City and newly-promoted Burnley will get the ball rolling at Turf Moor on August 11, with Pep Guardiola going up against his former captain Vincent Kompany in the opposite dugout.
However, the most intriguing tie of the round is arguably Chelsea vs Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on August 13 at 16:30. Both sides have a point to prove after lackluster seasons last year, more so the hosts — who finished outside the top half of the table for the first time since 1996 and new boss Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping to get off to the perfect start in front of the Chelsea faithful.
That’s easier said than done, however, as the sides have drawn their six encounters in all competitions and Jurgen Klopp’s men are the slight favourites to come away with the three points this time out in the Chelsea v Liverpool betting. It’s a new season though and anything can happen on the opening weekend.
Both sides have dipped their toes in the transfer market this summer and seeing how those newbies perform in this blockbuster encounter at the Bridge is certainly going to be an area of interest for fans of both clubs and the neutrals. So, read on as we take a look at some of the players set to make their Premier League debuts here.
Christopher Nkunku - Chelsea
The Blues are infamous for their striker troubles, but they will be hoping Christopher Nkunku will be able to break that curse. The Frenchman was linked with a move to Chelsea for some time and the £52m deal was finally confirmed in June, with the Frenchman putting pen to paper on a six-year deal at Chelsea.
Nkunku arrives from RB Leipzig as the joint-top scorer in the Bundesliga last season, scoring 16 times in 25 games. But Chelsea fans might be somewhat reserved after their last couple of signings from the German top flight — Kai Havertz and Timo Werner — didn’t exactly work out.
Nicolas Jackson – Chelsea
Another new forward who joined Chelsea this summer, eyebrows might have been raised when the Blues announced the arrival of Nicolas Jackson for £31.8m from Villarreal. Not many Chelsea supporters might have been familiar with the 22-year-old before he penned an eight-year deal, but he scored 12 goals in 26 La Liga appearances for the Yellow Submarine last season.
That’s not a bad goalscoring record by any means and he has surely impressed Pochettino with his performances in pre-season, assisting twice and scoring in the 4-3 win over Brighton and Hove Albion before netting again in a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United. With Chelsea potentially eyeing another striker in this window, possibly Dusan Vlahovic, it will be interesting to see what role Jackson plays this season.
Dominik Szoboszlai – Liverpool
One of two signings Liverpool have made this summer at the time of writing, the other being World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister from fellow Premier League side Brighton for what appears to be a steal at just £35m, Dominik Szoboszlai is another signing from RB Leipzig — with the Reds paying around £60m for his services.
The 22-year-old is one of the most exciting young midfielders in Europe and already has a lot of experience under his belt, with over 200 appearances at club level for Liefering, Red Bull Salzburg and Leipzig while he also boasts 32 caps for Hungary. His pre-season has been a bit stop-start due to injury, but he impressed in the 4-0 win over Leicester and is one to watch this season.
