EPL Preview: Liverpool vs Sunderland: New Look Black Cats Ready to Attack

After a busy summer in the transfer market, Sunderland and Liverpool will face each other at Anfield on the opening day of the Premier League season.

Both clubs will be looking to integrate new signings into their teams as they take respective strides towards improving on last season.

With Steven Gerrard on course to play in this weeks preseason games and Lee Cattermole at full fitness, both teams will line up with their captains in the centre of midfield.

The captains are both likely to be joined by new signings, with Craig Gardner set to take the field for Sunderland, and with Lucas spending some of the summer away with Brazil, Charlie Adam is most likely to line up alongside Gerrard.

New arrivals will populate the flanks, with both teams likely to play with two new wide men.

Sunderland will bring in new men Seb Larsson and David Vaughan to play down the left and right sides in an effort to provide for front man Asamoah Gyan, who is likely to be supported by Stephan Sessegnon, who will play just behind the Ghanaian striker.

Liverpool will have England international Stuart Downing on the left, and are likely to start with Jordan Henderson, whom they just recently signed from Sunderland, on the right.

With Luis Suarez helping Uruguay win the Copa America, he is unlikely to get a starting place on opening day, and the two wide men will target big Andy Carroll who will be supported by Dirk Kuyt.

The defensive line will be a little more familiar to the Kop, with Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel and Aurelio likely to start in front of Pepe Reina in a back line only likely to change if Dalglish is successful in bringing in a left back.

Sunderland will bring in new signings Wes Brown and John O’Shea to their defense, and they will be joined by Michael Turner and Phil Bardsley as Sunderland also search for a permanent left back.

Sunderland will go into the game on the back of a preseason trip to Germany where new faces were integrated into the squad, and the team was brought up to fitness for the start of the season as they look to prevent another injury ravaged campaign.

A heavily reinforced back line and midfield will look to make a positive start to the season for the Black Cats, but they will have their work cut out as a strong Liverpool side will be equally eager to make a solid start.

Dalglish’s men will be keen to show the title contenders that they mean business this season, and will see Sunderland as a team they should be beating comfortably at home if they are to challenge for the title.

The game at Anfield will be one of the most anticipated of the opening day as fans of both teams and neutrals alike try to gauge if Liverpool have what it takes to challenge for the title, against a Sunderland team who are desperate to break into the top eight.