Premier League: McKenna and Slot Will Aim to Make an Opening Statement

Ipswich Town vs Liverpool

Two newly-minted managers will take centre stage on Saturday as Ipswich Town host Liverpool at Portman Road in the first matchday of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign.

Kieran McKenna isn’t exactly new to the English top-flight, but this is his first foray as head coach after serving as an assistant for Tottenham and Manchester United.

The 38-year-old boss was the guiding force behind why the Tractor Boys are back in the Premier League, and McKenna now faces the big challenge of maintaining their top-flight status.

Arne Slot, meanwhile, took his talents to England after a productive three-year stint at Feyenoord that saw him win a Dutch Eredivisie trophy. Fortunately for him, the Dutchman will inherit a strong Liverpool squad capable of competing for this season’s Premier League crown.

Learn more about these two managers and their squads ahead of this weekend’s contest.

 

Talking points

Ipswich Town are a beefed-up version of Luton Town

Ipswich Town’s meteoric rise from the third tier to the Premier League speaks volumes about Kieran McKenna’s coaching chops. With him at the helm, expect the Tractor Boys to generate new Premier League 2024 highlights this upcoming season.

The Tractor Boys recorded 92 league goals in the Championship last season, and it’s not a coincidence. That’s because McKenna likes his teams to play directly and counterattack every chance they get.

The Reds’ centre-half is in for a long night if they don’t keep Conor Chaplin and Omari Hutchinson at bay in the final third. Chaplin was Ipswich Town’s leading scorer last term with 13 goals and eight assists, while Hutchinson had 11 goals and five assists.

Chaplin and Hutchinson will have to bring their A-game, especially since fellow stars Nathan Broadhead (hamstring) and George Hirst (knee) are going to be out for a while due to injuries, along with defender Harry Clarke.

Leif Davis is a real livewire for the Tractor Boys since he recorded a whopping 18 assists last season. The ebullient left-back will surely cause plenty of problems for Premier League defences with his powerful overlapping runs.

 

Key returns for Liverpool

Arne Slot is off to a fast start on the red side of Merseyside after going undefeated in his first five matches in charge, albeit in the pre-season.

The Reds started their Club Friendly campaign with a 1-0 win against Real Betis, which was followed by wins against Arsenal (2-1), Manchester United (3-0), and Sevilla (4-1) before they were held to a goalless draw by Las Palmas on Monday.

What made it more impressive for Slot is that he was able to get their desired results even if he was unable to deploy his best starting Xi, as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister, and Darwin Nunez were given time off for competing in the Euros and Copa America.

All four of them are expected to return as soon as this Saturday, and they could be joined by Andy Robertson, who missed pre-season due to an ankle injury.

On the other hand, Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai are considered questionable to play this weekend.

 

History

Ipswich Town are back in the Premier League for the first time in 22 years after finishing second in the Championship last season. Before they were officially relegated, their last Premier League match was a 5-0 loss against, you guessed it, Liverpool at Anfield.

Since then, the Tractor Boys and the Reds have only faced once, a 1-1 draw in the League Cup in December 2002, before Ipswich Town lost 5-4 in the penalty shootout.

Liverpool have yet to lose a single Premier League match at Portman Road (W3, D2), and their last visit yielded a 6-0 result in February 2002.

However, Ipswich Town are undefeated in their opening league match of the season for 10 straight years (W6, D4) since losing 2-1 to Reading in the 2013-14 Championship season.

 

Betting Tip

The Premier League 2024 odds are overwhelmingly in favour of the visitors, as Liverpool are 1.33 favourites, while a rare win for Ipswich Town is at 6.50 and a draw is at 5.00 in the 1X2 market.

An upset is on the cards for this game since this is a free-hit for Ipswich Town, but Liverpool’s overall quality should be enough to give the hosts a reality check.

Speaking of Liverpool’s quality, they’ll likely beat Ipswich Town by pouring in goals. So, other than our recommended bet above, SBOTOP bettors should also consider alternatives like Over 3.00 at 1.66, Over 3.25 at 1.91, or even Total Goal 4-6 at 2.26.

   

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