The game at Anfield is set to be an interesting one as Palace have looked good in their opening games so far.

The two teams have been announced for the fixture.

For Liverpool, James Milner comes in at right-back for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who misses out due to illness.

Ibrahima Konate makes his debut for Klopp’s side at the heart of defence alongside Virgil Van Dijk.

Kostas Tsimikas gets another game at left-back while Andy Robertson is rested for the clash.

A midfield trio of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara is a stable and progressive one on paper.

Sadio Mané, Mo Salah and Diogo Jota are the front three for Liverpool once again with Roberto Firmino still sidelined with an injury.

Divock Origi and Naby Keita return to the bench after starting against AC Milan in midweek.

Marc Guehi is at centre-back for Crystal Palace after impressing in their victory over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

James McArthur captains the side in a midfield three alongside Chieck Kouyate and Conor Gallagher.

Former Liverpool player Christian Benteke leads the line for the Eagles with Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha either side of him.

Martin Kelly and Nathaniel Clyne also make an appearance in the Palace squad on the bench.

Goalscorer last week, Odsonne Edouard will be looking for another fruitful display as a substitute.

Teams

Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Milner, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Fabinho, Henderson, Thiago; Mane, Jota, Salah.

Subs: Kelleher, Keita, Gomez, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones, Minamino, Robertson, Origi, Phillips.

Crystal Palace (4-3-3): Guaita; Ward, Guehi, Andersen, Mitchell; Kouyate, McArthur (C), Gallagher; Ayew, Benteke, Zaha.

Subs: Butland, Tomkins, Kelly, Clyne, Riedewald, Hughes, Milivojevic, Olise, Edouard.

Where To Watch

Liverpool – Crystal Palace kicks off at 3 pm . Premier Sports will provide coverage of the game.

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The side will begin the season as one of the favourites to win the title, with the return of Virgil Van Dijk and other injured first-team players increasing their chances.

The 2019/20 Premier League champions will want to start this season off as they did two years ago – a win over Norwich.

A full crowd of Norwich fans will welcome Jurgen Klopp’s men to the ground as they look to start their season off on a high.

Alisson and his safe hands will give Reds fans confidence throughout the game and they may get more if new signing Ibrahima Konate plays and performs well.

Konate is expected to go into the starting lineup this weekend as first-choice centre-backs Van Dijk and Joe Gomez continue their recovery from season-ending injuries they sustained last year.

Andy Robertson will not be available as he suffered ligament damage in a friendly against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

The injury has ruled him out for several weeks, leaving Liverpool without their only mainstay in the Premier League last season.

Robertson played all 38 of Liverpool’s league games last season, failing to finish 90 minutes only twice.

Kostas Tsimikas took Robertson’s place for Liverpool’s final pre-season match against Osasuna on Monday night.

It is expected that the Greek full-back will step in for Robertson in competitive fixtures in his absence.

Tsimikas only made seven appearances for Liverpool in his debut season in England as a result of early-season injury problems and Robertson’s ever-presence in the squad.

However, the 25-year-old has had an impressive pre-season this summer and will look to carry over his form into the new season and get more appearances for the club that signed him last summer.

Curtis Jones will also be unavailable as he must follow concussion protocols but the 20-year-old was not expected to dislodge Fabinho and Thiago in midfield.

Naby Keita or Jordan Henderson are the two most likely to take that third spot in Liverpool’s 4-3-3.

Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané will be hungry for goals as they look to terrorise defences once again, having failed to be as fluid as they are known to be last season.

Diogo Jota is expected to provide a threat from the bench and 18-year-old Harvey Elliott could earn a spot after his performances in pre-season.

Norwich City comes into the game with new attacking signings Josh Sargeant and Milot Rashica ready to play after joining from Werder Bremen.

Goalkeeper Tim Krul will return to the Premier League with Max Aarons and captain Grant Hanley in front of him in the back four.

Chelsea loanee Billy Gilmour will look to make his mark in his debut for the Canaries and impress his parent club.

Todd Cantwell will have another opportunity to shine in the Premier League after a fantastic season in the EFL Championship.

Teemu Pukki will want to start off the season in the right way once again after scoring a goal in the 4-1 loss to Liverpool on the opening day two years ago.

The home crowd will be behind this newly-promoted Norwich side but Jurgen Klopp’s men may prove too tough a challenge for them.

Predicted Lineups

Norwich City (4-2-3-1): Krul; Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, Giannoulis; Gilmour, McLean; Rashica, Sargeant, Cantwell; Pukki.

Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Trent, Matip, Konate, Tsimikas; Fabinho, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keita; Salah, Firmino, Mané.

Betting

Norwich 17/2

Draw 9/2

Liverpool 2/7

Where To Watch

Norwich v Liverpool will kick off at 5:30 pm on Saturday, August 14th. You can watch the game live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event.

The post Norwich v Liverpool – Preview, Lineups, Betting, TV Coverage appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Warren Gatland’s side displayed an impressive second half in the first test to take the lead in the series but the Springboks showcased why they are reigning world champions with a dominant victory in the second test.

Jacques Nienaber’s world-class defensive coaching kept the Lions at bay and frustrated the touring side that was looking to close out the series early.

Both teams need to win this weekend to win the series, and with the gameplan of the Springboks persevering and the momentum firmly swung in their favour, the Lions will have to put up a fantastic team performance to earn the bragging rights.

Gatland has rolled the dice with his changes, one of them seeing the Pro12-winning ex-Connacht centre partnership of Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw play together for the Lions.

Henshaw’s positional flexibility and Aki’s strength could be important factors in a prospective Lions victory.

However, neither are Brian O’Driscoll and the Cape Town showdown may be won via other ways of play.

The Boks’ scrum is the best in the world and the lineout is among the top in its category too.

Whether it be dispersing quickly when out of possession or looking for holes in the South African line with the ball, the set-piece battles will be as important as the first two tests.

Finding even the tiniest of holes in the way these technical aspects of the South African game are set up could prove fatal as the pace of Josh Adams can expose these to great effect.

The Lions will have to improve their aerial abilities too as the Boks have shown that they love to kick in this series.

Henshaw’s ever-presence in the squad throughout the test series is down to several reasons, one of them being his composure under a high ball.

If some more aerial duels went his way and if the backfield can win theirs, the Lions can be a much calmer side in possession.

The Boks are favoured heading into this test but if the Lions play their cards right, they could upset the odds.

Whatever they do, they will want to avoid more heartbreak at the hands of Morné Steyn and the Springboks.

Lineups

British and Irish Lions: L Williams (Wales); J Adams (Wales), R Henshaw (Ireland), B Aki (Ireland), D van der Merwe (Scotland); D Biggar (Wales), A Price (Scotland); W Jones (Wales), K Owens (Wales), T Furlong (Ireland); M Itoje (England), A W Jones – captain (Wales); C Lawes (England), T Curry (England), J Conan (Ireland).

Replacements: L Cowan-Dickie (England), M Vunipola (England), K Sinckler (England), A Beard (Wales), S Simmonds (England), C Murray (Ireland), F Russell (Scotland), E Daly (England).

South Africa: Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz), Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse), Lukhanyo Am (Cell C Sharks), Damian de Allende (Munster), Makazole Mapimpi (Cell C Sharks), Handré Pollard (vice-captain, Montpellier), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier); Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Siya Kolisi (captain, Cell C Sharks), Lood de Jager (Sale Sharks), Eben Etzebeth (Toulon), Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers), Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers), Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers)

Replacements:
Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Trevor Nyakane (Vodacom Bulls), Vincent Koch (Saracens), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Kwagga Smith (Yamaha Júbilo), Herschel Jantjies (DHL Stormers), Morné Steyn (Vodacom Bulls), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers).

Odds

South Africa 11/10

Draw 22/1

British and Irish Lions 8/5

Where To Watch

The game will be shown live on Sky Sports with kick-off scheduled for 5 pm. Coverage will start on Sky Sports Action at 3:30 pm with Sky Sports Main Event showing it from 4 pm onwards.

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