Liverpool vs. Stoke City: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
Liverpool return to their domestic struggle on Saturday, when Stoke City travel to Merseyside with the target of increasing their lead over the Reds and moving further up the Premier League ranks.
Mark Hughes' men hold a one-point lead over the Reds coming into Week 13 but have never won a Premier League fixture at Anfield.
With Brendan Rodgers' side currently on the ropes, Saturday presents as good an opportunity for the Potters to pounce as they're ever likely to receive.
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Date: Saturday, Nov. 29
Time: 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra (US)
TV Info: beIN Sports 11 (US)
Mounting Pressure Falls on Rodgers
A 2-2 draw against Ludogorets Razgrad wasn't the Champions League result Reds fans were hoping for on Wednesday, increasing concerns about Rodgers' fit at the Liverpool helm.
Despite the disappointment of sharing of the spoils in Sofia, however, the manager was eager to force home the notion that their point was a positive one, per ESPN's Alex Shaw and the Champions League:
As Shaw hints, those comments might be met with scrutiny, and that desperate rummage for encouragement in itself acts as another damning indication of what the club's prospects have become.
Anything other than a victory over Stoke on Saturday will be held by Rodgers' critics as further reason why the Northern Irishman should be ousted from the hot seat.
Neither team is in a strong vein of form, given that Liverpool are without a win in five matches, losing four of those, while the Potters are yet to put together back-to-back wins in the league this season.
That being said, Stoke have come away from Manchester City and Tottenham for their only away wins of the season thus far, speaking highly of the team's preference for playing the role of the dark horse.
Key Battle
Steven Gerrard vs. Bojan
Faith in the Rodgers administration is waning for some, and the same can be said for Steven Gerrard's place in his line-up as the Anfield icon enters his twilight years.
Martin Keown argued in the Daily Mail that following his display against Ludogorets, the midfielder no longer has his old penetrative ability, while The Independent awarded the Reds captain a pitiful rating for his performance:
It's unfortunate for Gerrard, then, that Stoke City's Bojan makes his way to Merseyside having just begun to show improved form under Hughes, having struggled to acclimate to the Premier League.
The Spaniard has had a hand in a goal in each of Stoke's last two games, per WhoScored.com, and will once again line up in attacking midfield as a supply route to the Potters' strike force.
Jordan Henderson may be granted more freedom to perform the creative duties once expected of Gerrard, but that leaves the elder of the two susceptible on the break.
Former Liverpool forward Stan Collymore believes there's more blame to be held with Liverpool's defence, however, as he discussed with Bleacher Report's Ryan Bailey this week:
Gerrard's best assets have never laid in defence, and should Rodgers persevere with his most loyal servant in the side, it could lead to Bojan seeing some joy when dropping deep.
