Two sides flying high under new managers face off in a huge clash at Anfield. Arne Slot faces his toughest test yet as Liverpool's new manager, as the Reds host in-form Chelsea at Anfield today in the English Premier League.
Slot is the first Liverpool boss to win nine of his first 10 games in charge of the Reds. However, having enjoyed a rather kind opening fixture list, today's game may provide a truer reflection as to where the hosts are at under the Dutch coach.
Currently in sixth place, Chelsea could climb as high as third with a win on Merseyside today, with Enzo Maresca's Blues unbeaten since their opening weekend defeat to Man City.
Liverpool take on Chelsea on Sunday, Oct. 20, at Anfield, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. BST local time, making it a 11:30 a.m. ET or 8:30a.m. PT start in the US and Canada and a 2:30a.m. AEDT kickoff in Australia in the early hours of Monday morning.
The Managers
Arne Slot has made an impressive start to life as Liverpool manager, with the Reds currently unbeaten in their first 10 games of the new campaign.
How To Watch
Sunday's Liverpool vs. Chelsea match is streaming on USA Network, which you can access as part of your cable package or at the NBC Sports website with a valid login. It can also be streamed via Sling TV and other, more expensive streaming TV services.
Sling TV
Sling TV's Blue plan includes USA Network, making it a great option for fans wanting to watch Premier League action. It's $40 per month and features over 40 channels, including other sports channels like ESPN and FS1.
Read our Sling TV review.
VPNs for Streaming
If you find yourself unable to view EPL matches locally, you may need a different way to watch the games -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you'll get three months free and save 49%. That's the equivalent of $6.67 a month with code SPECIALDEAL, which should be automatically applied.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Sky Sports
Sunday's afternoon kickoff is exclusive to Sky Sports, showing on its Sky Sports Main Event, Premier League and UHD channels. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the game via its Sky Go app, but cord-cutters will want to get set up with a Now account and a Now Sports membership to stream the game.
Sky subsidiary Now offers streaming access to Sky Sports channels with a Now Sports membership. You can get a day of access for £15, or sign up to a monthly plan from £35 per month right now.
Fubo Canada
If you want to stream this EPL game live in Canada, you'll need to subscribe to Fubo Canada. The service has exclusive rights to every Premier League fixture once again this season.
Fubo is the go-to destination for Canadians looking to watch the EPL this season, with exclusive streaming rights to every match. It costs CA$30 per month, though you can save some cash by paying quarterly or annually.
Optus Sport (Australia)
Football fans down under can watch EPL matches live on streaming service Optus Sport, which is showing every single Premier League fixture of the 2024/25 season live in Australia.
With exclusive rights to stream all EPL matches live this season, as well as German Bundesliga and Spanish La Liga games, streaming service Optus Sport is a particularly big draw for Aussie soccer fans.
If you're already an Optus network customer, you can bag Optus Sport for a reduced price, with discounts bringing the price down to as low as AU$7 per month. If you're not, a standalone monthly subscription to the service starts at AU$25.
Van Dijk: We Need To Be Prepared To Fight
The Reds return to action following the October international break this weekend, taking on Enzo Maresca's Blues in the Premier League.
In the official matchday programme for the 4.30pm BST kick-off, Van Dijk writes: "I know that Anfield will be bouncing for the visit of Chelsea, and for sure we will look to draw on that noise and atmosphere as we go for all three points. We all have our part to play in what will be a very tough game.
"I have been impressed by Chelsea's progress this season. I said a few weeks ago, after our win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, that they have gone under the radar a little bit within the media, but we will certainly not be underestimating them.
"A lot has been made about the number of changes they have made as a club during the past couple of seasons, but one thing that is absolutely certain is that they have a squad which is full of very good footballers, players who can cause problems for any team.
"They also have a manager who has a clear idea of how he wants his team to play, and who looks like he is starting to get the best out of the talent at his disposal.
"That means, then, that we will need to be fully focused and prepared to fight from the first whistle for the points. We have had some good days and nights against Chelsea in recent years, but that counts for nothing this weekend. We need to be ready, and we need to be somewhere near our best if we are to get the result we want.
"There is no doubt that the next three weeks are going to challenge each and every one of us. Starting on Sunday, we will play seven games in the space of 20 days, across three competitions and against some very good teams. We are going to be tested, and we are going to need everyone at their very best.
"That, though, is exactly what we want. We want to be playing in big games. We want to be competing in the Champions League, at the top end of the Premier League and in the domestic cup competitions. We are Liverpool and that means testing periods such as this should be seen as normal and approached with excitement rather than trepidation."
Van Dijk continues: "The most recent international period ended in frustration for me personally, but there were some real positives for some of my teammates.
"Congratulations, for example, to Conor Bradley, who captained Northern Ireland for the first time. In football, there are few greater honours than being chosen to lead your country out and I know Conor and his family will be extremely proud, as they should be.
"Others showed some of their best form too, including Trent Alexander-Arnold with England, Dominik Szoboszlai with Hungary and Luis Diaz with Colombia. Hopefully they, and others, will return with both form and confidence, ready for the big challenges to come.
"As I say, this is a period in which we will need every single member of the squad. We are all satisfied with the start we have made to the campaign, with nine wins out of 10 games in all competitions, but that only makes us hungrier to deliver more.
"We don't want to be remembered as a side which flew out of the blocks and then faded away. We want to get stronger and stronger as the season progresses, delivering big performances and big results on a consistent basis. That is what we will be demanding of ourselves."
Teams
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Kelleher | Van Dijk, Konaté, Szoboszlai, Salah, Jones, Gakpo, Jota, Robertson, Gravenberch, Alexander-Arnold
Substitutes from: Jaros, Gomez, Endo, Diaz, Nunez, Mac Allister, Tsimikas, Quansah, Morton
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sánchez | Gusto, Colwill, Tosin, James (c) | Caicedo, Lavia | Sancho, Palmer, Madueke | Jackson
Substitutes from: Bettinelli, Disasi, Badiashile, Veiga, Dewsbury-Hall, Enzo, Neto, Félix, Nkunku
Game Details
Date / Time: Sunday, October 20, 2024, 16.30 BST; 11:30am EDT; 9pm IST
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
Referee: John Brooks (on pitch); Michael Oliver (VAR)
On TV: Sky Sports Main Event (UK); USA, Telemundo (USA); Star Sports Select HD1 (India); SuperSport Premier League (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: Sky Go (UK); NBC Sports Live, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA); Disney+ Hotstar (India); DStv Now (NGA)
Preview: Chelsea's Litmus Test
A massive test for Chelsea today, away to league-leaders Liverpool at Anfield. Playing against one of the league’s best is always a litmus test of your own team.
Here we go!
Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!
