Liverpool vs. Stoke: Team News, Live Stream, TV Info and Ticket News
Stoke City arrive at Anfield on Sunday a place above Liverpool in the Premier League, albeit with the Reds having two games in hand on the Potters.
A win for Jurgen Klopp's side would move them ahead of the visitors, although any realistic hope of a top-four finish for the Reds is now long gone.
Instead, Liverpool's focus for the rest of the season is with the Europa League and Mark Hughes will therefore hope to guide Stoke to their first league win at Anfield in the top flight.
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After the creditable 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League, Klopp is expected to make several changes for the Anfield clash—some enforced, some with the return leg in mind.
Klopp and Hughes have already gone head-to-head as managers this season, with Liverpool narrowly edging through in the League Cup semi-final, winning 6-5 on penalties after 1-0 away wins for each side across the two legs.
The corresponding fixture on the opening day of the season saw Philippe Coutinho's late long-range effort win the game for the Brendan Rodgers-managed Reds—who were attempting to erase some of the memory of that 6-1 hounding on the final day of last season at the Britannia Stadium.
This game last season saw Glen Johnson, now at Stoke City, score a late winner for the Reds.
Liverpool vs. Stoke City at Anfield is a game that hasn't thrown up many goals in recent years, with two successive 0-0 draws under Tony Pulis followed by two 1-0 wins for the Reds since Hughes took over.
Date: Sunday, 10 April
Time: 4 p.m. GMT / 11 a.m. ET
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (U.K only) /
Live Stream: Sky Sports (U.K only) NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S only)
Form Lines (Last 5 Games)
Liverpool
Drew 1-1 vs. Borussia Dortmund (Europa League)
Drew 1-1 vs. Tottenham
Lost 3-2 vs. Southampton
Drew 1-1 vs. Man United (Europa League)
Won 2-0 vs. Man United (Europa League)
Stoke
Drew 2-2 vs. Swansea
Won 2-1 vs. Watford
Lost 2-1 vs. Southampton
Drew 1-1 vs. Chelsea
Won 1-0 vs. Newcastle
Team News
Liverpool have a host of issues to contend with, missing their centre-midfield duo of Emre Can and Jordan Henderson. Can serves the first of a two-game domestic ban following his 10th booking of the season against Tottenham last week, while Henderson has a knee injury that could see him miss the rest of the season.
In their absence, Joe Allen is almost certain to start. The Welshman had a good 45 minutes in Dortmund on Thursday night and could be partnered by Lucas Leiva or Kevin Stewart—both of whom featured in a behind-closed-doors game with Burnley on Friday.
Daniel Sturridge should replace Divock Origi up front, while Klopp has hinted at changes elsewhere, too. Philippe Coutinho, Alberto Moreno and Mamadou Sakho are among those who could be left out with the return leg against Dortmund in mind.
For the visitors, Hughes is boosted by the returns of key players Ryan Shawcross and Xherdan Shaqiri.
Marko Arnautovic and Glenn Whelan are doubts, while Jack Butland and Jon Walters are long-term absentees.
Predicted Line Ups
Liverpool: Mignolet, Clyne, Lovren, Sakho, Moreno, Lucas, Allen, Lallana, Firmino, Coutinho, Sturridge.
Stoke: Haugaard, Cameron, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Pieters, Whelan, Imbula, Affelay, Shaqiri, Arnautovic, Joselu.
Players to Watch
Liverpool: Joe Allen
Allen replaced Henderson at half-time on Thursday night and put in a good second-half performance. The Welshman has been very effective as a substitute during recent months but must provide a positive showing from the start if he is to force his way into Klopp's long-term plans.
With Can and Henderson out, Allen must take this opportunity in these next few games, starting against Stoke. He's playing for his Anfield future.
Stoke: Xherdan Shaqiri
Returning from injury, Shaqiri is a player Liverpool will need to keep quiet in order to stop Stoke's attacking threat.
The Swiss winger is a player who was often linked with a move to Anfield before his surprise move to Stoke last summer, per Blick (h/t the Express), and the former Bayern Munich and Inter Milan winger has caused plenty of teams problems this season—not least Merseyside rivals Everton, against whom he scored twice back in December.
Shaqiri failed to make an impact in the two League Cup matches in January and will no doubt be keen to make an impression against a potentially much changed Liverpool lineup.
Key Battle: Midfield
With Can and Henderson out, Klopp may also rest James Milner, meaning a completely new-look midfield for the home side.
Lucas hasn't featured since the end of February, while Stewart would be making his first league start for the club. In either instance, Stoke will look to take advantage through their regular midfield trio of Glenn Whelan, Ibrahim Afellay and Giannelli Imbula.
Stoke have had a week to prepare for this game, while Liverpool's preparations are limited. Whether the home side can focus on this match rather than the huge return leg against Dortmund four days later will be a major deciding factor.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Liverpool: - 151
Stoke: + 500
Draw: +320
Ticket Information
For ticket information on all Premier League games visit the official website or go to the ticket page on the home club's official website. Secondary ticket information for Liverpool can be found here.
