Stoke City vs. Liverpool: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
Liverpool's opening Premier League fixture of the 2015-16 season sees them return to the Britannia Stadium 77 days after Stoke City inflicted a humiliating 6-1 defeat on the final day of last season.
Despite the manner of that defeat, arriving at the end of a pretty turgid season, Brendan Rodgers has survived the summer with his job. The Liverpool boss has signed seven new players and enters his fourth campaign in charge of the Reds knowing anything less than a top-four finish won't see him in charge for a fifth year.
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Meanwhile, Stoke City have made some big signings of their own following a respectable ninth-place finish last season. Mark Hughes has acquired former Barcelona winger Ibrahim Affelay in one of the more eye-catching and headline moves.
The Potters have also recruited midfielder Marco van Ginkel (Chelsea, loan), forward Joselu (Hannover 96, £5.75m), defensive midfielder Sergio Molina (Real Madrid, undisclosed), winger Moha El Ouriachi (Barcelona, undisclosed), plus the free signings of Glen Johnson (Liverpool) and Shay Given (Aston Villa).
Date: Sunday, 9 August, 2015
Time: 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. EDT
Venue: Britannia Stadium
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 / NBCSN
Live Stream: Sky Sports 1 / NBCSN
Pre-Season Results
Stoke
Drew 0-0 vs. Everton
Won 2-0 vs. Singapore XI
Won 6-0 vs. Wrexham
Lost 2-0 vs. Brentford
Lost 2-1 vs. FC Koln
Lost 3-0 vs. FC Porto
Liverpool
Won 4-0 vs. Thai True All Stars
Won 2-0 vs. Adelaide United
Won 2-1 vs. Brisbane Roar
Drew 1-1 vs. Malaysia XI
Won 2-0 vs. HJK Helsinki
Won 2-1 vs. Swindon Town
Predicted Formations
Stoke have been dealt a blow with the news that captain Ryan Shawcross has been ruled out for two months with a shoulder injury. Forward Bojan Krkic is back after a cruciate knee ligament injury saw him miss most of his first season in the Premier League.
It's not clear if Hughes will give Affelay his full debut, but former Liverpool right-back Johnson is set to start against his former club.
Liverpool are expected to hand full debuts to James Milner, Nathaniel Clyne, Christian Benteke and young full-back Joe Gomez—who arrived from Charlton Athletic this summer and has impressed at left-back in pre-season.
Roberto Firmino may have to wait for his first start, with Jordon Ibe and Adam Lallana expected to be in attack alongside Benteke.
Dejan Lovren is, much to the derision and bafflement of supporters, set to get the nod over Mamadou Sakho and start alongside Martin Skrtel in defence.
Player to Watch
Player to Watch - Stoke City: Mame Biram Diouf
Diouf was Liverpool's tormentor in chief back in May, scoring the opening two goals inside five minutes of each other and completely unsettling Liverpool's defence.
Can the Senegal forward inflict similar damage this time around?
Liverpool: Christian Benteke
All eyes will be on Liverpool's second-most expensive signing and their new No. 9. There has been much debate over Benteke's suitability to Liverpool's style of play, but Rodgers insists he will fit in and "surprise a lot of people" with the "quality of his football," per Sporting Interview via This Is Anfield.
"He’s the type of player that fits perfectly for us," claimed Rodgers at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
Key Battle
Skrtel and Lovren vs. Diouf
Rodgers seems set on giving Lovren a shot at redemption and pairing him alongside Skrtel for the opening fixture, despite the Croat's struggles last season and Sakho's form being far superior. It's a decision that could harm the Northern Irishman's hopes of keeping his job this season if the gamble doesn't pay off.
Liverpool's defence has frequently struggled against powerful centre-forwards, and Diouf will be keen to upset the odds again and show up the centre-back duo. How the confidence-shot Lovren performs will be crucial to the outcome of this game.
Odds (via Odds Shark; Benteke FGS via OddsChecker)
Stoke win - 47/25
Liverpool win - 69/50
Draw - 12/5
Benteke FGS: 11/2
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