Chelsea

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard says Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp's comments about the Blues' transfer window spending are "slightly amusing".

The Stamford Bridge club have spent more than £200m on players this summer following a transfer ban.

Last week, Klopp said the Reds have a different approach to clubs "owned by countries and oligarchs" amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

But Lampard said Liverpool have players who came "at a very high price".

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Between Klopp's arrival in October 2015 and winning the Champions League in 2019, the Reds' major signings included forwards Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, both for £34m, midfielders Naby Keita and Fabinho for at least £48m and £39m respectively, defender Virgil van Dijk for a club record £75m and goalkeeper Alisson for £67m.

Lampard has signed winger Hakim Ziyech for £33.3m, forward Timo Werner for about £48m, attacking midfielder Kai Havertz for £71m, left-back Ben Chilwell for £45m and also centre-back Thiago Silva on a free transfer.

It's probably best not to expect a fast start from the visitors.

Wolves finished seventh last season. If matches had ended at half time in the 2019-20 Premier League, Wolves would have finished 19th in the table.

Interesting.

Yep I definitely had my doubts about Matt Doherty at Spurs for that reason. Still nearly scored yesterday though.

What an outstanding record, across three divisions. Transformative spell.

Sheffield United

Chris Wilder has won 99 of his 195 matches as Sheffield United manager and needs one victory to become the first Blades boss to reach 100 wins in fewer than 200 games.

Mark Lawrenson
Ex-Liverpool defender

Sheffield United did far better than I expected last season, but I still have my doubts about whether they have got enough goals in their side. I look forward to them proving me wrong.

Wolves also had an excellent campaign, and now they have to try to match it. Like the Blades, they are always very competitive and I'm expecting a decent battle here.

Prediction: 1-1

Lawro's full predictions v soul singer and Arsenal fan Celeste

Chris Wilder also said that Gareth Southgate has been looking at Aaron Ramsdale already - and that he's in the top four English goalkeepers.

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Sheffield United

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder, speaking to Sky Sports: "I’m sure we will be better for the experience of being in the Premier League.

"We have brought some new players into the group but it will be a huge challenge again. We have to go again and start with a big performance and result tonight.

"I am a huge believer that the games at the start of the season are just as important as the ones at the end. We know we are up against a fabulous team. Their pre-season has possibly been disjointed to deal with, as it has been for all of us but we are all getting on with it. There are a big three points on offer tonight and we will have to play well as we did for the majority of last season to get a result.

"We have to be aware of counter attacks and I should imagine Nuno being the football man he is understands we are going to cause problems as well. Fine lines. I don’t think there will be a lot between us – two teams who will go for a win. Tight game, as it was last year and I will be delighted if we can replicate that result.”

On the return of Aaron Ramsdale to Sheffield United: "From a personal point of view he had an outstanding season, not a great one from a team point of view but I view him as one of the outstanding goalkeepers.

"He has to produce and prove that what he did last season was not a one off. We are delighted he is back and pleased to have a permanent goalkeeper ticked off as well."

Wolves

Wolves have lost 12 of their last 15 top-flight matches in Yorkshire (W2 D1), last winning there back in March 1981 against Leeds United.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

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There will be no European football for Wolves this year; that hope was dashed in August, as first Arsenal beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final, and then Wolves lost to eventual winners Sevilla in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

However, with a new record signing in £35.6m teenage striker Fabio Silva and a new three-year deal for manager Nuno Espirito Santo, the buoyancy around Molineux remains.

Nevertheless, after successive seventh-placed finishes, their best performance in back-to-back seasons since the 1960s, the club are at a crossroads as they try to work out how - and, more importantly, how long it will take - to climb the next step.

Read more from Simon here.

Letting Matt Doherty go for £15m was, a bit strange, wasn't it Wolves fans?

Wolves

Nuno is a wonderfully polite man isn't he?

He says that his side are ready to progress, starting today, despite the quick turnaround.

"We have allowed players to rest and recover," he says. "We have put all of our effort in to getting ready for this game.

"Adama Traore is playing at wing-back, he is versatile and has played there before. It is obvious that the squad needs a player in that position."

Sheffield United

Both sides hand a debut to one of their summer signings for their Premier League opener.

Aaron Ramsdale, who started his career at the Blades, is named in goal for Sheffield United, with the summer signing from Bournemouth replacing Dean Henderson, who returned to parent club Manchester United at the end of last season.

Fellow new signings Wes Foderingham, Oliver Burke and Ethan Ampadu are on the bench.

Sheff Utd XI: Ramsdale, Basham, O'Connell, Egan, Baldock, Lundstram, Norwood, Fleck, Stevens, McBurnie, Sharp.

Subs: Berge, Burke, Jagielka, McGoldrick, Foderingham, Ampadu, Osborn.

Image source, .

Wolves have given a start to left-back Marcal but record signing Fabio Silva has to make do with a place on the bench.

The 18-year-old striker joined Wolves from Porto for £35.6m earlier this month. Vitinha, who is on loan from Porto, is also among the substitutes.

Wolves XI: Rui Patricio, Boly, Coady, Saiss, Traore, Dendoncker, Joao Moutinho, Marcal, Pedro Neto, Jimenez, Daniel Podence.

Subs: Neves, Silva, Jota, Vitinha, Ruddy, Ruben Vinagre, Rasmussen.

Image source, .

We'll have team news in a jiffy for our opener, where eight sprinklers are currently dousing the Bramall Lane pitch.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Live commentary from John Acres and Michael Brown will be available from 17:50 BST for tonight's first game between Sheffield United and Wolves. Just click the icon at the top of this page or tune into an actual radio if you're old school.

Excited? Nervous? Nuno's new deal filling your senses?

Drop us a line in the usual manner.

Bramall Lane is sun-baked and glorious. No greasy chip butty song to enjoy of course but we'll make do and mend.

And a quarter-past-eight kick-off on the south coast. A travesty.

Who signed off on that? Haven't they got homes to go to?!

Sheffield United v Wolves (18:00 BST)

Brighton v Chelsea (20:15 BST)

But first we get to see two sides who just missed out at the top end of the table last season, two of the best sides to come up from the Championship in a long time and two innovative managers.

Chris Wilder may have raised an eyebrow at the way Arsenal lined up at Fulham. Overlapping centre-backs eh?

Can Chelsea challenge at the very top again?

Image source, BBC Sport

The Blues have a big gap to close but they've gone all out in the summer transfer window, with a huge overhaul that looks, on paper at least, very exciting.

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Will it be enough to challenge? We won't know for a while yet but tonight we get a first glimpse of Frank's new-look side...