Liverpool U21s vs. Chelsea U21s: Date, Time, Live Stream and Viewing Info
The 2015-16 Premier League under-21 season will start with a bang on Matchday 1 as Liverpool and Chelsea will go head-to-head at Langtree Park on Sunday.
Both clubs will provide full live streams via their official websites, while BT Sport Europe will also cover the match.
The Reds and Blues finished the 2014-15 season in second and third place in Group A, respectively, and both will be gunning for the title, which Manchester United won in the last campaign. Sunday's match will be pivotal, as Chelsea and Liverpool will try to get their campaigns going with a big win.
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Here's everything you need to know about Sunday's clash:
Time: 11:30 a.m. BST/6:30 a.m. ET
Venue: Langtree Park, St Helens
TV Info: The match will be broadcast by BT Sport Europe (for UK viewers)
Live streams: LFCTV GO, Chelsea TV Online, BT Sport Player app
Preview
Chelsea's U21 squad has lost some major talent in the past few years, as the likes of Dominic Solanke and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have either been promoted to the first team or sent out on loan, but the Blues still boast one of the deepest and best youth setups in the country.
Charly Musonda is the biggest star of the group, and some may be surprised he didn't leave the club on loan during the summer, as he appears to have outgrown the youth leagues.
Much attention will go to his younger brother Tika Musonda this season, however. The youngster made a big impression in 2013-14 but suffered a devastating knee injury that nearly cost him his leg. He recently wrote a lengthy story about his life and how he dealt with the experience for the Players' Tribune, and this extract speaks volumes about his mind-set and strong will:
"For some reason, knees have defined our family. Last spring, I was practicing with Chelsea’s first team, following in my father’s footsteps, when one of my teammates slid in to tackle me. The second I fell to the ground, I instantly knew what had happened, and I knew I would never get that moment back. I dislocated my knee, and tore my ACL, MCL, and PCL.
Things got even worse. A few days later, one of the trainers told me that I would have to go to central London to get some tests done. The tests revealed that I had blood clots in my arteries. If the blood continued to not get through, my leg would have to be amputated. But you know what? It never phased me. If I learned anything from my dad, it’s that sometimes a knee injury is a blessing in disguise. If he could gather the strength to return to the pitch after losing his friends, then I could overcome this.
"
Musonda is still several weeks away from returning to the pitch, but once he regains his form, fans will be eager to find out whether he's still every bit as athletic and powerful as he was before the devastating injury.
The Musonda brothers aren't the only players worth keeping an eye on. Both Jeremie Boga and Kasey Palmer have established themselves as top talents, and Charlie Colkett is entering the final years of his current deal. While there's little doubt the Blues will want to keep him at the club for now, his future could well be decided during the upcoming season.
Liverpool finished one point ahead of Chelsea in Group A last season, but like Chelsea, the squad has lost some talent entering the 2015-16 campaign. Goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux became the latest to leave the side, joining Swindon Town on loan, and the Reds nearly lived to regret that decision, via Squawka:
One player to keep an eye on is England youth international Daniel Trickett-Smith, who seems ready to take the step up and is a prime candidate for a loan spell in the upcoming season. Right now, he's still a member of the Reds' youth squad, and he'll be keen to impress on Sunday.
Joe Maguire did enough in 2014-15 to earn a spot in Liverpool's squad that toured around Asia in pre-season, and with Alberto Moreno struggling toward the end of last season, Reds manager Brendan Rodgers will want to keep the youngster around for now. If he performs well against Chelsea, a promotion to the first team isn't completely out of the question.
Maguire and Daniel Cleary have both been working with the first team throughout summer, so expect Liverpool's defence to be in excellent form heading into their first official match of the season. They'll have to be, as Musonda and Co. are raring to go, hoping to build on the success they had in last year's UEFA Youth League.
