UEFA Super Cup 2019 : Five factors that could decide the game

Liverpool players all-smiles in their pre-game training session

#3 Antonio Rudiger's presence on the pitch

Antonio Rudiger jostling with Rashford in a game from last season

Chelsea has been handed a lifeline with Willian's return to the squad. Lampard did say that Willian, Kante, and Rudiger are all 'fit but not necessarily match-fit'. Antonio Rudiger's presence on the pitch will be a huge boost for Chelsea. Kurt Zouma experienced a torrid time against Martial and Rashford in the Premier League game.

Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, and Firmino are a level above the Manchester United attack, in terms of chemistry and killer-instinct. One mistake and they swarm the area around the box like wolves on a prowl. If the defense is not solid and compact, which it wasn't against Manchester United, it won't take a blink for the Liverpool front-three to tear them apart.

Having a solid defender like Rudiger will be important for communication among the defense. Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are a pair that has played together, and in all means, better than the Christensen-Zouma pair. It's up to Frank Lampard to decide if Rudiger plays or not, but the Super Cup is the right place to test his on-pitch fitness. A defender suffering an immediate re-injury is not something common, but having said that, Lampard won't be naive enough to risk Rudiger either, when he has 37 league matches and at least 6 Champions League games ahead of him.

Edited by S Chowdhury