Few players can match the accuracy of Diogo Jota’s shooting and if his injury and fitness issues can be left behind, the Portuguese forward should have a productive campaign for Liverpool.

Despite starting just 14 times in the Premier League last season, Jota managed to hit 1.49 shots on target per 90 minutes in the division, while the 27-year-old was also accurate with 46.3% of his total attempts.

Jota looked sharp as a tack in pre-season and is set to earn a central role in Arne Slot’s side, starting with Liverpool’s opener at Ipswich. Look for him to have at least one shot on target against Town at Portman Road.

Liverpool used persistent fouling as a defensive tactic last season and only Wolves and Bournemouth committed more fouls per 90 than the Reds (12.20) over the course of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.

Tough-tackling Argentinean Alexis Mac Allister was one of Liverpool’s most prolific individual offenders, committing a sizable 1.83 fouls per 90 minutes in midfield.

The 25-year-old gave away at least two free kicks in a massive 15 different Premier League fixtures for the Merseysiders last term and he is likely to be just as cynical in his attempts to dominate the middle against Ipswich.

Axel Tuanzebe should be a staple at right back for Ipswich this season if he can steer clear of injuries and the versatile defender could quickly become a foul-market favourite with punters if last year’s trends hold.

Remarkably, Tuanzebe committed at least one foul in 14 of his 16 starts for the Tractor Boys in the Championship last season and the 26-year-old finished the previous campaign by fouling in eight straight appearances for Town.

As a former Manchester United academy starlet, Tuanzebe will be keen to tackle with extra bite while marking some tricky Liverpool wing wizards on Saturday, so back him to commit at least one foul again.

Conor Chaplin was a talismanic figure for Ipswich last season during their successful quest for automatic promotion and the versatile attacker averaged a healthy 3.69 shots per 90 during his exploits in the Championship.

Chaplin, who is normally on free-kick-taking duty for Ipswich in and around the box, racked up two or more attempts in a staggering 33 separate fixtures in the second tier last term and the 27-year-old’s shooting could be a feature of Saturday’s game against Liverpool.

The Reds tried and failed to sign a new number six this summer (Zubimendi), so it’s clear that their recruitment team feel they are weak in that position. Chaplin does his best work in the same sort of spaces for Ipswich between the opponent’s defensive and midfield lines, and he is clever enough to work himself into some threatening positions against Liverpool at Portman Road.

Mohamed Salah tends to come out of the blocks quickly at the start of new seasons for Liverpool and after a restful summer, the Egyptian should be ready to hit the ground running against Ipswich.

Incredibly, Salah has scored in the Reds’ first game of a new league campaign in six of the last seven seasons, in fact, no other player in the history of the Premier League has more matchday one goals than the 32-year-old.

Salah enjoyed an early-season goal blitz last year, netting eight times in Liverpool’s first ten games and he could start the 2024/25 campaign in similar style at Ipswich.

Ipswich should have plenty of defensive work to grind through on Saturday, especially in midfield, and The Tractor Boys’ Sam Morsy will likely be the first into the fray.

The Egyptian anchorman was a steely presence for Ipswich during their successful promotion push, though the 32-year-old’s overzealous challenges drew plenty of attention from match officials in the Championship.

Morsy, who committed 1.74 fouls per 90 in the league last season, also collected a joint-Championship-high 14 yellow cards over the course of a combative campaign. Morsy won’t dial back the ferocity of his tackles in the Premier League and he looks like a superb card market candidate against Liverpool.

Jet-heeled winger Omari Hutchinson took a while to warm up at Ipswich following his loan move to the Suffolk-based club from Chelsea last year, though the wide attacker caught fire once he established himself in the campaign’s final throes and the 20-year-old looks ready to transfer his talents to the Premier League.

Hutchinson’s acceleration and ability to dribble off either foot make him a nightmare to defend against and numerous markers were drawn into committing fouls against the flanksman last season.

Hutchinson, who joined Ipswich permanently this summer, was fouled 1.43 times per 90 in the Championship overall, while he was also fouled four or more times in two his last three runouts alone as his confidence grew and his opponent’s frustrations boiled over. Expect Hutchinson to be an irritant for Liverpool’s defenders on Saturday.

Virtually all of Liverpool’s midfielders last season ranked highly in the metrics for individual fouls committed and Hungarian star Dominik Szoboszlai was among their number, committing 1.24 fouls per 90 in the Premier League.

The 23-year-old appeared in 33 Premier League fixtures during his maiden campaign for Liverpool in 2023/24 and he gave away at least one free kick in 18 of the same games.

Liverpool’s penchant for committing high numbers of fouls under Jurgen Klopp last term is likely to be carried over and put into this season’s tactical framework by Arne Slot. As a result, Szoboszlai can be backed with confidence to foul at least once again.