Liverpool can use opening day trend to steal early…

Liverpool can use opening day trend to steal early Premier League march on Man City

Liverpool kick off their 2022/2023 Premier League campaign this Saturday when they travel to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham.

Jurgen Klopp’s men will be desperate to go one step further this season by pipping Manchester City and their other title rivals to the coveted trophy. Last season’s quest for a historic quadruple was ultimately too much for the squad, who fell short on the league and European front.

But the summer arrivals of Darwin Nunez, Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsey have brought renewed optimism. And last weekend’s Community Shield win over Pep Guardiola’s City gave Liverpool a very early psychological advantage over their likely title rivals.

And they can do the same again on Saturday by taking maximum points in the early kick-off before City face West Ham United on Sunday. The Reds’ opening day record suggests they will do exactly that.

Liverpool have won 18 of their 30 curtain-raising fixtures, accounting for an impressive 60 per cent win ratio. That percentage has increased further in recent years, with Klopp’s Reds unbeaten on the first weekend of a new season.

In fact, not since a 3-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion in 2012 have Liverpool lost a gameweek one clash - with seven wins and one draw from the eight that followed. No doubt the current four-game opening-day winning streak has been helped by a touch of fortune from the fixture-scheduling gods, however.

Saturday’s trip to Fulham - who won the Championship last season - is Liverpool’s fourth consecutive opening day clash against a newly-promoted side. The Reds have kicked off two of the previous three seasons with victories over Norwich, while the only campaign they started as champions saw them topple Leeds United in a seven-goal thriller.

And now Saturday’s game sees a trip to Marco Silva’s Fulham and another chance to come flying out of the blocks. For Mohamed Salah - who has scored in all of the last five gameweek one fixtures - Craven Cottage provides a fresh chance to extend the record he broke around this time last season.

Neither Klopp nor Salah will want to pay too much attention to history, but kicking off the new campaign with three points and a strong performance will be an absolute must among the squad - and it will give them another very early advantage on City.

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