Jurgen Klopp spent the summer preaching the need to jump out of the blocks with the reflexes of an Olympic sprinter when the new Premier League season kicked off against newly-promoted Norwich at Anfield.

Last season’s top two look set to dominate but there’ll be plenty of thrills and spills along the way. There’ll also be plenty of betting opportunities and these five wagers should help keep punters engaged throughout the season.

Lost, amid the sublime composure of £75 million Virgil van Dijk, the fan-pleasing marauding runs of full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson and the promise of Joe Gomez, stands Joel Matip, the forgotten centre-half who may have as big a say in tomorrow’s Champions League Final as any Liverpool star.

Liverpool are through to the Champions League final after beating Barcelona 4-0 in the semi-final second leg at Anfield to win 4-3 on aggregate.

Roberto Firmino’s absence from Liverpool’s starting line-up forced an alteration to the Premier League side’s usual shape.

Liverpool and Manchester City are taking it in turns to blink in the title race but Jurgen Klopp’s side face slipping back down to second place tomorrow night after taking their eyes off the ball altogether against West Ham.

Manuel Pellegrini wants to get West Ham’s season back on course while at the same time doing his old club a favour.

I knew it was too good to be true. Having ended 20 league games claiming “this can’t last”, my sense of vindicating satisfaction is tingling…

The pace and intensity of City’s front three was so impressive, so ferocious, that this time they looked a step ahead of Liverpool’s equivalent.

Quotes to remember from the year in football...

So little about this Manchester United season has been extreme. This is a team with rounded edges, who send watching supporters and journalists into an slumber.

It may not have been quite as dramatic or memorable as that Steven Gerrard goal almost 14 years ago to the day but, as Mohamed Salah clinched Liverpool’s place in the Champions League knockout stages, this important victory certainly carried echoes of that famous night.

Declan Rice has not been included in England’s squad for next week’s Nations Cup clash with Spain at Wembley, with manager Gareth Southgate saying that Rice has a “really difficult decision” to make about his international future.

Manchester City can consider themselves highly unfortunate not to beat Wolves. They hit the woodwork three times, Rui Patricio made a world-class save from Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus missed a simple chance, and the Wolves’ goal should have been disallowed for handball.

Gareth Southgate has decided against selecting Joe Hart or Jack Wilshere.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp claims he would rather be in their position chasing European glory than be sitting pretty as domestic champions like Manchester City.

Irish defender Conor Masterson is in line for a call-up to the Liverpool bench for tonight's Champions League quarter-final clash with Manchester City.

Gareth Southgate's men capped a promising display with a deserved victory as an experimental England side secured victory thanks to Jesse Lingard's first international goal.

Bottom-side Swansea picked up a crucial and surprising three Premier League points.

Premier League

Liverpool 0 - West Brom 0: There is an exciting new game at Anfield: Guess the Liverpool team. No one seems to know quite which line-up Jurgen Klopp will go into a game with these days. The only guarantee is that it will not be the team you expected.

A first ever Merseyside derby goal for Wayne Rooney earned a grizzly Everton side a dogged draw, but Liverpool fans were left wondering what might have been had Jurgen Klopp stuck with the ‘Fab Four’.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits they enjoyed a slice of luck when Simon Mignolet was not sent off in a controversial 3-0 win at Stoke.

Stoke City 0 Liverpool 3: It was not always pretty and certainly not lacking controversy, but Liverpool left Stoke City with a victory that looked routine, even if much of the game told a different story.

If you were merely bored during the international break, you were one of the lucky ones.

Liverpool defender Nathaniel Clyne has potentially been ruled out for three more months after undergoing surgery on a back problem.

When Jurgen tells the band to play, they’re always guaranteed to raise a smile.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes a ‘world class’ Harry Kane poses a bigger threat to his side than Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku did last weekend.

Liverpool versus Manchester United again failed to live up to the hype as Jose Mourinho's safety-first policy saw him once more frustrate the hosts at Anfield.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp felt "sick" due to his side's defending in Tuesday night's Carabao Cup loss at Leicester.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists the defensive problems which returned to plague his side in the 2-2 Champions League draw at home Sevilla cannot be solved in the transfer market.

Liverpool 2 - Sevilla 2: The Seville media described their team as visiting “where the gods play” on their first ever trip to Anfield — a slightly overblown analysis, certainly on the basis of the defensive horror show performed by the Premier League hosts in last night’s Champions League opener.

Concerns have been raised over the seriousness of Nathaniel Clyne's back injury after the defender was left out of Liverpool's Champions League squad.

Liverpool 4  Arsenal 0

Liverpool produced a devastating display of attacking football to claim a comprehensive 4-0 win over a ragged Arsenal side in the Premier League.

After an unconvincing victory over Crystal Palace, it’s clear that Liverpool need the future of Philippe Coutinho sorted out sooner rather than later.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has reiterated his stance Barcelona target Philippe Coutinho is not for sale.

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY

The Premier League’s top six take stock this week ahead of the hectic festive football programme. How many of the clubs genuinely retain hopes of being top of the tree next May? The answer may dictate how busy they are in the January window.

Liverpool have suffered another injury blow after striker Danny Ings was sidelined for six months with a cruciate knee ligament injury.