Bramall Lane
Kick-off: 1245 BST
Coverage on the BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Five Live & highlights on MOTD
Leigh Bromby has been declared fit for Sheffield United having spent four months out with a knee ligament injury.
He could come in for Claude Davis, who picked up a knee injury during pre-season, while striker Steve Kabba will miss out with a hamstring strain.
Liverpool are unlikely to play new-boy Dirk Kuyt, even if his international clearance comes through in time.
Robbie Fowler and Stephen Warnock proved their fitness midweek but Harry Kewell is out with a groin strain.
Interview: Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock
Sheffield United (from): Kenny, Kozluk, Bromby, Morgan, Sommeil, Unsworth, Jagielka, Tonge, Montgomery, Li Tie, Leigertwood, Ifill, Hulse, Webber, Akinbiyi, Shipperley, Geary, Quinn, Nade, Annerson.
Liverpool (from): Reina, Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Riise, Gerrard, Alonso, Sissoko, Pennant, Bellamy, Crouch, Dudek, Kromkamp, Aurelio, Paletta, Gonzalez, Agger, Fowler, Luis Garcia, Zenden.
# Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock on being in the Premiership:
"It has taken quite a while to get here and now I am going to enjoy it. I am asking my players to enjoy it as well.
"There will be criticism when we have bad periods but we had bad periods last year when people wrote us off.
"We have that little habit of turning things around when people don't think we can."
# Liverpool defender John Arne Riise:
"We won well against Chelsea in Cardiff and we can now look forward with confidence.
"We started too slow last term and we must be up there from the start.
"We started badly last season and never caught up, but from just before Christmas to the end we picked up the most points."
BIG-MATCH FACTS
SHEFFIELD UNITED return to the big time after an exile of 12 years, and have the honour of kicking off the 2006-07 Premiership campaign with this home match against FA Cup winners Liverpool in the Saturday lunchtime fixture at Bramall Lane.
After narrowly missing out on automatic promotion in 2002-03, and on a place in the play offs in each of the two subsequent seasons, Neil Warnock must now set about the task of making Sheffield United the 23rd club to survive their first season in the Premiership after promotion. But Warnock will be in the stands for the first six games of his seventh full season in charge of the south Yorkshire club, while he serves a touchline ban for past misdemeanours.
The Blades are defending an unbeaten home Premiership record against Liverpool of one win and one draw. The last League contest at Bramall Lane was a goalless stalemate on Boxing Day 1993.
LIVERPOOL already have two victories under their belt. They hold a 2-1 home leg lead over Maccabi Tel Aviv ahead on this Tuesday's second leg of the Champions League third qualifying round tie in Kiev, and beat double Premiership champions Chelsea in impressive style in last Sunday's Community Shield. Now Rafa Benitez must produce the results from his third season in charge, to ensure the Reds live up to expectations as the club most likely to challenge Chelsea for the major honours.
It was in 1989-90 when Liverpool claimed the most recent of their record 18 League titles. They've since finished third in the Premiership on four occasions including last season, and been runners-up once in 2001-02. Although the Merseyside based Premier League ever presents concluded nine points behind Chelsea last term, they ended in red hot fashion - carving out victories in each of their last nine League contests.
These clubs last met over two legs in the League Cup in January 2003. Both matches were home wins, with the Reds progressing 3-2 on aggregate.
Referee: Rob Styles (Hampshire)
SEQUENCES/RECENT FORM
SHEFFIELD UNITED
Club stats
Fixtures
Last season: 2nd Championship 90 points
1. Under Dave Bassett, the Blades participated in the first two seasons of Premier League football, finishing 14th in 1992-93 and 20th of 22 of 1993-94.
2. Runners-up in the Championship last season, 16 points behind runaway title winners Reading, and nine points ahead of the play off zone.
3. Embarking on a 60th season of top flight football.
4. Once recorded an eight match winning run from the start of a top flight season (1903).
5. But in 1990, the Blades needed 17 matches to record their first victory of the campaign.
6. Ended last season on a seven match unbeaten streak in the Championship.
7. Aiming to extend an undefeated League sequence on home territory to six games.
LIVERPOOL
Club stats
Fixtures
Last season: 3rd 82 points
1. Setting out on their 92nd campaign of top flight soccer and 45th in succession, since 1962.
2. Won 41 League and Cup games last season.
3. Completed the largest number of clean sheets in the top division last term of 22 - reeling off shut-outs in the first four games.
4. Conceded the opening goal in seven Premier League matches - fewer than any other club.
4. Bidding for a 10th successive Premiership victory in Benitez' 125th League and Cup match in charge.
6. Aiming for a sixth consecutive away League maximum.
7. Not dropped a point, home or away, since the 2-1 loss at Arsenal on 12 March.
8. Kicking off away from home for the third season in a row.
9. Drawn the opening League game in each of the last two seasons.
10. Started out on an eight-match winning run in the old First Division in 1990.
KEY PLAYER NOTES/POTENTIAL MILESTONES
SHEFFIELD UNITED
Squad profiles
Ins and Outs
Neil SHIPPERLEY was Sheffield United's leading marksman last season. All his 11 goals were netted in the Championship.
Ade AKINBIYI scored 17 goals last season - 15 in the League. But only three of those (all League) were netted for the Blades, the rest for Burnley.
LIVERPOOL
Squad profiles
Ins and Outs
Steven GERRARD was Liverpool's top scorer last season with 23 goals - 10 of which were in the Premiership.
If involved from the outset, Robbie FOWLER will be making his 400th club career start.
New signing Jermaine PENNANT, was one of only three outfield players who were ever presents in the Premiership last season, when he wore a Birmingham shirt.
HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS
League: Sheff Utd 36 wins, Liverpool 54, Draws 26
Prem: Sheff Utd 2 wins, Liverpool 1, Draws 1
HEAD TO HEAD at Sheff Utd
League: Sheff Utd 27 wins, Liverpool 17, Draws 14
Prem: Sheff Utd 1 win, Liverpool 0, Draws 1
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