Premier League: How and where to watch Liverpool vs Leeds United live in 168 countries on September 12, 2020

Topics: Streaming, TV Schedules, TV Listings, English Premier League, Liverpool, Leeds United

Last season's champions will begin their title defense by welcoming the new entrants to Anfield in their season curtain raiser.

Match Preview

The Premier League's defending champions Liverpool will host the winners of last season's EFL Championship Leeds in their opening game of the season. For the first time in the history of the competition, the Reds will kick off their campaign without their fans cheering them with the coronavirus pandemic still persisting. The emergence of COVID-19 slightly altered the course of Jurgen Klopp's men in their run to clinch the league title but barely affected the dominant display they showed in their charge. The Merseysiders were the team to beat, making a claim for their first Premiership trophy by winning a record 32 games, while drawing and losing three apiece.

It is worth mentioning that Anfield has proved to be an impenetrable fortress for Liverpool and the success enjoyed last season would not have been complete had that not been the case. They won 25 of their last 26 on home turf, only drawing with Burnley on Matchday 35. The Reds' last defeat at the arena in the league came on April 23 2017, when Crystal Palace ran away with a 2-1 win, thanks to a brace from Christian Benteke. Since then, no team has been able to take three points out of the ground and Klopp's side is four games shy of equalling the club record of 63 home league games without defeat.

In hindsight, Liverpool swiftly put their Community Shield disappointment to Arsenal behind as they followed up with a 7-2 thumping of Blackpool in a friendly. So far, the current champions are unbeaten in eight of their last 10 outings. Nevertheless, the opponents they come up against will not be pushovers considering how remarkable their run in last season's Championship was.

Leeds, following a 16-year absence from the English top-flight, ran away with the title by finishing 10 points clear. Under the tutelage of Marcelo Bielsa, the peacocks have been reborn and are set to mount a strong challenge to ensure that they stay in the league for the foreseeable future. A number of high-profile signings have already been made by the West Yorkshire outfit who are yet to suffer defeat in their last eight matches. While big names do not necessarily guarantee immediate success, it will be interesting to see what the genius of Bielsa has in store for the defending champions in their curtain raiser.