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• Slot hoping to find balance between chaos and possession against Ipswich

  Arne Slot is hoping to strike the right balance between "chaos and possession" ahead of his first Premier League encounter against Ipswich Town on Saturday. 

  Slot arrived as Jurgen Klopp's successor in June, and a seemingly improbable task has proved to be a seamless transition given their pre-season results.

  The Reds won four of their five fixtures ahead of the new campaign, but Slot is still aiming to find the perfect blend just two months into his Anfield tenure. 

  "Style of play has been with my teams where I worked, I think, always the same," Slot said. "There are a lot of similarities with Jurgen Klopp, with the way they played in the past, and I'm hoping we will see these similarities in the upcoming weeks and months.

  "We like to have the ball, we don't like the other team to have the ball, but the Premier League is a league where many good clubs are and many clubs want to have the ball.

  "And if we have it, we want to score, we want to be intense in everything we do. If we have the ball, we want to score – that's quite simple, of course!

  "But it sometimes also depends on the players you have. I think we're trying to find the balance between trying to create chaos at certain moments and trying to keep possession of the ball."

  Meanwhile, Ipswich arrive back in the Premier League 22 years after their relegation was confirmed against the same opponents they will face upon their return. 

  The Tractor Boys confirmed back-to-back promotions last season, pipped to the Championship title by Leicester City in Kieran McKenna's second season at the helm. 

  Ipswich scored 19 goals from set-pieces last campaign, a total only bettered by Cardiff (21), something McKenna believes will be crucial in remaining in the division. 

  "I've spoken lots about how we're going to have to try and keep our identity but adapt, and we're not going to be able to open up the game as much every minute of every game pretty much like we did last season," McKenna said. 

  "We're going to have to find times to do that and find time to keep the game a little bit more closed, and also we're going to get fewer set pieces. 

  “So it's going to be of the utmost importance to be even more efficient with them, and we're going to defend more, so we're going to have to be even more resilient against our set plays."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Ipswich - Omari Hutchinson

  After starring on loan for Ipswich last season, Omari Hutchinson secured a permanent move to Portman Road from Chelsea at the beginning of the transfer window. 

  Hutchinson registered 16 goal involvements in 44 Championship appearances last season (10 goals and six assists), a total only bettered by Leif Davies (20) and Conor Chaplin (21) in the Ipswich squad. 

  He has previously played three times against Liverpool's Under-21 side and remains winless against them (D1 L2), but has the opportunity to upset the odds this time around. 

  Liverpool - Mohamed Salah

  As Mohamed Salah embarks on his eighth season with the Reds, he will be hopeful of adding the Tractor Boys to the list of Premier League outfits he has scored against. 

  No player in Premier League history has scored more goals on matchday one than Salah (eight, level with Alan Shearer, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney).

  Only Rooney's total of 13 goal involvements (eight goals and five assists) is more than the Egyptian's tally on the opening day of the season (eight goals and four assists).

  MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN

  Slot will be hoping for a winning start in Suffolk, with the omens in his favour as Liverpool have never lost at Portman Road (P5 W3 D2), playing more games there without losing than any other ground in the Premier League.

  Ipswich will also be the fifth newly promoted side the Reds have faced in the last six seasons (W3 D1), with the last time Liverpool lost on the opening day coming in a 3-0 defeat to West Brom in 2012-13 in Brendan Rodgers' first game in charge. 

  However, only one of the eight managers to take charge of the Reds in the Premier League has won their first such game (D4 L3), with Gerard Houllier the last to do so against Southampton while jointly in charge with Roy Evans in August 1998. 

  The Tractor Boys boast an impressive matchday one record of their own, going unbeaten in their last 10 (W6 D4) since a 2-1 defeat to Reading in 2013-14. 

  Last season, only Stockport County (96) and Manchester City (96) scored more league goals than Ipswich in England's top four tiers last year, and since McKenna's arrival at Portman Road in December 2021, only City (239) have scored more league goals than the Tractor Boys (222).

  And while Ipswich finally ended their 22-year wait for a return to the Premier League, they will want to get one over their opponents. Their most recent top-flight fixture was against Liverpool in May 2002, losing 5-0 to confirm their relegation to the second tier.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Ipswich - 15%

  Draw - 17.9%

  Liverpool - 67.1%

• Vinicius rumours 'just speculation', says Ancelotti amid Saudi interest

  Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that rumours linking Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior with a move to Saudi Arabia are nothing more than "just speculation". 

  Vinicius, who scored 24 goals in all competitions for Real last season, has received interest from the Saudi Pro League, reportedly considering the proposal. 

  The Brazilian is currently preparing for Los Blancos' UEFA Super Cup clash against Atalanta on Wednesday, with Ancelotti quick to dismiss reports of a departure. 

  "There isn't anything at all," Ancelotti said on Tuesday. "There's just speculation, at this time in the market. There's just speculation, nothing else."

  Vinicius helped Real claim a domestic double last year, winning his third La Liga title and scoring in their Champions League final win over Borussia Dortmund. 

  The 24-year-old has the chance to win a 13th major honour in his sixth year as a Madrid player on Wednesday, with Ancelotti expecting him to be on top form in Warsaw.

  "Of course speculation doesn't affect [Vinicius]," Ancelotti continued. "He's here, he wants to be here. He wants to do his best and help Real Madrid."

  Ancelotti also shrugged off suggestions that Madrid's sporting project was under threat from Saudi Arabia's growing investment in the sport. 

  The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar have all made the move to the Middle East over the past two years, with many other high-profile names following suit. 

  "No, absolutely not," Ancelotti said. "We have our project and we continue in that. We have a squad of great quality.

  "We've lost important players and we've brought in others who have to adapt.

  "We have to work to maintain the atmosphere, and the commitment, which was the key last year."

• Rossi inspires Crew comeback to end Inter Miami's Leagues Cup defence

  The Columbus Crew came from two goals down to put an end to Inter Miami's Leagues Cup defence, winning 3-2 at the Lower.com Field on Wednesday. 

  Matias Rojas and Diego Gomez had given the visitors a comfortable lead just beyond the hour-mark, only for Christian Ramirez's strike to spark an unlikely turnaround. 

  Diego Rossi netted twice in 11 second half minutes to confirm the win as Wilfried Nancy's side advanced to the quarter-finals where they will face New York City FC. 

  Despite still being without Lionel Messi, Miami started brightly and were rewarded for their fast start when Rojas headed past Nicholas Hagen in the 10th minute. 

  Columbus finished the opening 45 the better side, but found themselves two goals down after the break as Gomez curled home their second following Luis Suarez's pass. 

  But Nancy's side would respond five minutes later as Max Arfsten's teasing delivery was powerfully headed home by Ramirez inside the penalty area.

  The hosts found themselves level moments later when Cucho Hernandez's cross to the back post picked out Rossi to finish beyond Drake Callender. 

  Rossi grabbed his 15th goal of the season 10 minutes from time, finishing from a tight angle following a clever pass by Mohamed Farsi to confirm the triumph. 

  "Today, even after a defeat, we will continue trying to achieve some title in the local league, which is what remains," Miami head coach Gerardo Martino said. 

  "But I cannot accept that all this is measured based on whether you won or lost, I accept it because they are the rules of the game."

  Data Debrief: Rossi brace continues Crew's sensational home form

  Columbus continued their fine home form under Nancy and are now unbeaten in their last seven games on home soil in all competitions (W6 D1). 

  Rossi was the standout for the Crew, contributing 0.88 expected goals (xG) to Columbus' 1.79 total at the conclusion of the thrilling encounter. 

  Miami failed to make their opportunities in front of goal count, only managing three shots on target from the 12 they attempted while also missing five big chances.