Liverpool V Stoke: Picking the Ideal Reds XI to Win FA Cup Quarterfinal

Liverpool entertain Stoke City on Sunday March 18th in the quarterfinal of the FA Cup.

With the Merseyside club struggling to find the right starting 11 to get them three points in the league on a regular basis, you could be forgiven for thinking you could pick a side better than Kenny Dalglish right now.

With one trophy in the cabinet already this season, here is a starting lineup that could see Liverpool advance to the semifinals.

Pepe Reina

Pepe Reina has to start in goal.

There's no debating that the Spanish stopper is one of the finest goalkeepers in the world, and selecting anybody else would be foolish.

Martin Kelly

Martin Kelly had a great game against Everton on Tuesday night and looked solid throughout.

Stoke will likely play Matthew Etherington on the left wing, and Kelly provides a little more defensive stability than Glen Johnson.

Jose Enrique

Liverpool don't have many options at left back, but Jose Enrique is their go-to guy anyhow.

The Spaniard will almost certainly feature in this position unless injury prevents it.

Martin Skrtel

Martin Skrtel is being spoken about as possibly Liverpool's player of the season.

While that is up for debate, he certainly is much improved in 2012.

Skrtel has good heading ability which will be needed to combat Stoke's aerial bombardment.

Jamie Carragher

With Daniel Agger still recovering from his rib injury, Jamie Carragher would be my choice of replacement for the Dane.

Sebastian Coates shows a lot of promise but hasn't quite ironed out his basic mistakes yet.

Carragher offers more stability and experience in the heart of defense.

Jay Spearing

The match against Stoke may turn out to be a scrappy affair, and no one does scrapping better than little Jay Spearing.

With Lucas still on the sidelines injured, Liverpool need Spearing to break up the play and allow Gerrard to get forward as much as possible.

Dirk Kuyt

Dirk Kuyt has shown Liverpool he is a player who can get goals from nothing—think Carling Cup final—and Liverpool should utilise the Dutchman's hard work ethic against Stoke.

Toward the end of the season is when squads start to tire, and Kuyt may provide the extra energy that Liverpool need to win.

Steven Gerrard

Fresh from his hat-trick against Everton, Steven Gerrard will be itching to start against Stoke.

Gerrard showed no signs of the hamstring strain he suffered for England a few weeks ago, and the Liverpool captain will be desperate to progress his club through to the next round of the competition.

Gerrard is Liverpool and if he's fit, he starts.

Luis Suarez

While Liverpool are in danger of becoming too over reliant on Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan has to play if the Reds are to stand any chance of progression.

His return from his eight-match ban should mean he is relatively fresher than his Stoke counterparts.

Andy Carroll

Andy Carroll should start due to the defensive aerial work he showed against Everton.

With Peter Crouch and Kenwyne Jones up front for Stoke, Liverpool need Carroll to counter the height that the Potters bring to the table.

Naturally, he also provides an offensive threat by scoring the odd goal.

Maxi Rodriguez

Maxi Rodriguez is a bit of a forgotten man at Liverpool.

The team has lacked invention of late, and Maxi can produce that killer pass when he's given the chance.

Now is the time to bring him back into the fold in place of the stuttering Stewart Downing.

Formation and Afterthoughts

Liverpool's only true wide man is Stewart Downing, which means whenever he plays the team can look unbalanced.

My proposal for the Stoke game would be to play a 4-1-2-2-1 style formation with Spearing the holding midfielder, Kuyt and Maxi in the centre, Gerrard and Suarez licensed to roam between midfield and attack, with Carroll up front.

It's a system that Liverpool haven't really tried yet, and perhaps new ideas aren't the way to go in FA Cup quarterfinals, but sometimes you have to shake things up and give the opposition something they don't really expect.

The front three of Gerrard, Suarez and Carroll should pose plenty of questions for the Stoke team, whilst maintaining a solid middle footing.

It's a narrow formation but the movement of Gerrard and Suarez will give them the freedom to get wide when they want to.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out The 50 greatest goal scorers of all time, as well as the top 10 Liverpool goalkeepers of all time.

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