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This year's UEFA Super Cup is going to be an all-English affair as the Champions League winners Liverpool go up against Europa League winners Chelsea. Liverpool have won the Super Cup on three occasions in 1977, 2001 and 2005 whereas Chelsea have won the title once in 1998.
Liverpool made a great start to their Premier League campaign as they won their opening fixture against Norwich City by a scoreline of 4-1 with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Divock Origi finding the net for the Merseyside club. They currently sit at the third position in the table, behind Manchester City and Manchester United.
Frank Lampard's Chelsea on the other hand had an abysmal start to the league campaign as they were routed 4-0 by Manchester United at the Old Trafford on Sunday and currently sit at the 19th position in the league table.
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The UEFA Super Cup game at the Vodafone Park in Istanbul offers both the clubs a great opportunity to win silverware early and set a positive tone for the upcoming season.
We shall now take a look at five players who will play a key role in the all-important UEFA Super Cup clash in Istanbul.
#5 Christian Pulisic (Chelsea)
Christian Pulisic started his senior career at Borussia Dortmund and stayed at the German club for three years from 2016 to 2019. The 20-year-old winger was signed by Chelsea on 2nd January 2019 for a fee of €64 million in a deal that allowed him to stay at Dortmund for the remainder of 2018-19 season.
The American youngster has made 127 appearances for Borussia Dortmund over a span of three years and found the net on 19 occasions. He is known for his great ability to dribble past defenders due to his low center of gravity. He is a versatile player who can be deployed both as a winger and an attacking midfielder.
Pulisic made his first competitive appearance for The Blues on Sunday in a 4-0 defeat against Manchester United as he was brought on for Ross Barkley at the 58th-minute mark. He looked to make some attacking runs from the left flank but was unable to make an impact.
He would now want to forget Sunday's disastrous result and play a vital role for Chelsea against Liverpool on Wenesday in the UEFA Super Cup game.
#4 Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Trent Alexander-Arnold has spent his entire football career till now at Liverpool and has appeared for the senior team since the 2016-17 season. He has made 87 appearances for Liverpool and played a pivotal role in their Champions League triumph last season.
The 20-year-old right-back is technically gifted and has the ability to initiate attacking moves, his accurate and long range passing abilities have made him capable of scoring set-pieces. Under Jurgen Klopp, Alexander-Arnold has developed into a right-back whose overlapping runs down the right flank set off attacking moves for Liverpool.
Alexander-Arnold's cheeky corner for Origi's winning goal in the second leg of the Champions League semi final against FC Barcelona brought him plaudits from everyone for his instinctive mindset at such a crucial stage of the game.
The young right-back will be back on Wednesday with the same zeal and passion to win Liverpool their first silverware of the season.
#3 Jorginho (Chelsea)
Jorginho began his career at Italian club Hellas Verona and spent 3 seasons there making 97 appearances. He moved to Napoli in 2014 and won the Coppa Italia in his first season at the club.
The 27-year-old midfielder was a part of Napoli till 2018 when he moved to Chelsea for a transfer fee of £50m with £7m in potential add-ons. He played 54 games for The Blues during the 2018-19 season behind only César Azpilcueta who made 57 appearances.
He is a composed and versatile player who can be deployed at any position in the midfield. Due to his work-rate, ability to break down possession, vision, and passing accuracy, he is usually deployed as central midfielder in a three-man midfield in a 4–3–3 formation. He is also capable of playing both in a box-to-box role or in a defensive role as a ball-winner, because of his tactical intelligence, positional sense, and ability to read the game.
Jorginho played a key role in Chelsea's defensive structure against United on Sunday, stopping them from getting into the final third. He is expected to be a vital factor again on Wednesday against Liverpool.
#2 Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Virgil van Dijk has been a vital part of the Liverpool squad ever since he signed for the Merseyside club in January 2018. He made his debut for Liverpool on 5th January 2018 in the third round of the FA Cup against local rivals Everton. He scored the winning goal with a late header in a 2-1 victory.
Van Dijk continued his great form in the 2018-19 season as he won the Liverpool Standard Chartered Player of the month award for his performances in August. The 28-year-old center-back went from strength to strength and was named PFA Player of the Year on 28 April 2019. He went on to win the Champions League title and was named man of the match in Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Tottenham in the final.
He is a physically strong, right-footed center-back and usually features at the left hand side of the central defense. A smooth ball-playing defender who possesses great aerial ability, Van Dijk is tactical genius with strong leadership qualities.
He might become the key factor for Liverpool on Wednesday in the UEFA Super Cup game against Chelsea as his mere presence on the field is enough to intimidate the opposition.
#1 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Mohamed Salah was signed by Liverpool in 2017 from AS Roma for an initial transfer fee of €42m which now seems like the biggest bargain deal of the decade. His Liverpool career has been nothing short of spectacular as he has scored 72 goals in 106 appearances.
Salah was an important part of the Liverpool squad that won the Champions League title last season. He scored five goals in 12 continental appearances including a goal in the final. He was also the joint top goal scorer in the Premier League last season with teammate Sadio Mane and Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang having scored 22 goals.
Salah is predominantly known for his speed, movement, clinical finishing, agility, dribbling skills, first touch, and ball control. He is a versatile forward who who usually plays as a winger on the right flank as this allows him to cut into the centre onto his stronger left foot.
The Liverpool talisman could make all the difference on Wednesday when the Reds lock horns with Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup.
