Preview: Liverpool v Stoke City

14th January 2012 Jim Boardman

Barclays Premier League – January 14 2012

Liverpool v Stoke City

Liverpool welcome Stoke City to Anfield for a less rare than usual 3pm Saturday kick-off. Last time the two sides met was in the League Cup at Stoke’s place where Luis Suárez scored twice as The Reds came back from behind to win 2-1

The little Uruguayan isn’t available today as he continues to serve an 8-game ban, meaning he also misses out on the chance to play in the same fixture he made his Reds debut in. That was just under a year ago, last February, with Suárez’s debut goal adding to one from Meireles to give Liverpool a 2-0 win.

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Before that League Cup win Liverpool had struggled in away games against Stoke, losing the last two league games and drawing the two before that. Prior to that the last meeting between the two sides was the 8-0 League Cup win in 2000.

At Anfield it’s been a somewhat different story and Stoke haven’t won on any of their 48 Premier League or old Division 1 matches visits. They did manage a trio of wins in the fifties, when both sides were in the old Division 2 – the last time was in 1959 when a brace from Jimmy Melia wasn’t enough to stop Liverpool losing 4-3.

The other two meetings at Anfield since Stoke’s return to the top flight ended 0-0 in September 2008 and 4-0 to The Reds in August 2009. Stoke have won as many away games as they have home games so far this season, four each, but have only scored 8 goals away from home this term.

Liverpool remain unbeaten at home this season but have dropped more points than anyone at the club would like because six of those ten games ended in draws, some of which were games the Reds were expected to win, including games against Swansea, Norwich and Sunderland. Today’s opponents will be no pushover and Tony Pulis, taking charge of Stoke for the 400^th time, may well turn up with a side happy to leave with a single point.

Stoke have lost just one of their last eight league games whilst Liverpool have lost just two of their last 15.

Dirk Kuyt is still waiting for his 50^th league goal – he scored the 49^th in May but hasn’t been selected as often this season and hasn’t looked the goalscoring threat he once did. With Suárez out there may be more chances for the Dutchman, but that depends on the form of Andy Carroll and the fitness of Craig Bellamy.

Bellamy has known problems with his knees that make it difficult for him to repeat games, particularly if he’s played 90 minutes, so today’s fixture may come too soon following the 79 minutes he played in the midweek 1-0 League Cup win at Manchester City. Jay Spearing isn’t expected to make the squad today after suffering a hamstring strain in that game – but Kenny Dalglish expects him back for the next match.

Fresh from signing a new contract the Reds captain, Steven Gerrard, is expected to start today’s game. He’s scored three in his last four appearances, including two penalties.

Stoke have concerns over the fitness of Jonathan Woodgate, Ryan Shotton and Marc Wilson. Peter Crouch will be looking for a start and a goal against his former club – and having scored three in his last three league games, six overall in the league this season, he’ll be confident he can get it. Another former Red, Jermaine Pennant, will also be expecting to start, but yet another ex-Liverpool player, 34-year-old Salif Diao, has yet to start a Premier League game for Stoke this season.

The two sides are separated by five points going into this game, Stoke in eighth and Liverpool sixth in the league. A win for Liverpool would take them into fifth above Arsenal who don’t play until tomorrow.

Liverpool (probable): Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique, Henderson, Gerrard, Adam, Maxi, Kuyt, Carroll
Subs (probable, from): Doni, Kelly, Aurélio, Carragher, Spearing, Coates, Flanagan, Shelvey, Downing, Bellamy

Stoke (from): Sorenson, Wilson, Huth, Woodgate, Shawcross, Whelan, Shotton, Etherington, Pennant, Crouch, Walters, Begovic, Fuller, Diao, Palacios, Higginbotham, Jones, Upson, Whitehead, Delap, Wilkinson, Jerome

Referee: Howard Webb (2011-12: 15 games, 48 yellows, 3 reds)

Kick-off: 3pm GMT