Reds meet Blues in first title tussle

Liverpool head for their first away game of the new Premier League campaign tonight, and come up against a Chelsea side widely expected to challenge for the title.

Jurgen Klopp and Frank Lampard have seen something of a rivalry develop between themselves since the latter's appointment as Chelsea manager last summer.

On the pitch, Liverpool and Chelsea are both seen as strong contenders for the title, with the Blues' big-spending summer forcing them back into contention.

Both sides began the campaign with a win, and whoever comes out on top in west London would give themselves a big early boost for this season.

Perhaps the biggest team news heading into this tie is that Thiago is eligible to make his Liverpool debut at Stamford Bridge, having been registered with the Premier before the weekend's cutoff.

Klopp said Lampard's side have quality all over the pitch.

"There's plenty of threats, they've signed really well and already had an unbelievably good team," Klopp said. "We had to suffer a lot against them in the games last season. There's so many good players up front, in midfield, the defensive line and the full-backs -- there's not a biggest threat, Chelsea themselves are the threat."

Lampard insist it isn't a fixture which is about making a statement to the rest of the league.

"This is not a game about making a statement," said Lampard. "It's the second game of the season, and we were probably in pre-season zone in terms of our fitness at Brighton because of quarantine and international breaks.

"Now we take on the best team in the country last season. It's a nice challenge to go head to head with them. They were the outstanding team last year, and we competed in every game against them.  They will always give you a tough match, and we will have to push the limits and try and close that gap. That's the challenge in front of us."