After back to back victories over Middlesbrough and Everton in the last two league games, Liverpool are in some decent form going into this last two fixtures of the year. They are still just 6 points off Chelsea a the top and Jurgen Klopp will hope that his team can keep up the pressure on the Blues till the end of the season. After the Merseyside derby, Liverpool are back in action this week as they take on Mark Hughes’s Stoke City side on Tuesday. The Potters made a mediocre start to the campaign but are currently in the 11th place with 21 points on board. They have taken 5 points from their last 4 games and are expected to put in a tough competition in this game for Liverpool. Here is the preview of this game, along with the team news, predicted lineups, betting odds and predictions:
The league match between Liverpool and Stoke City will be played on Tuesday, the 27th of December at the Anfield in Liverpool. The kick off is scheduled at 5:15 pm BST (10:45 pm IST)
Team News:
Liverpool have no new injuries to worry about as Danny Ings remains the only long term problem for the Reds. Philippe Coutinho and Joel Matip are close to full training but will play no role in this game while star striker Daniel Sturridge is back in action and may be on the bench for this game. Midfielder Emre Can is also back in action after missing a couple of games.
Mark Hughes has a few issues to worry about as Jack Butland and Philip Bardsley are both ruled out of this game. Geoff Cameroon also remains sidelined while Marc Muniesa might be back in action for this game against Liverpool.
Expected Lineups:
Liverpool
Mignolet; Clyne, Lovren, Klavan, Milner; Henderson, Can, Lallana; Mane, Origi, Firmino
Stoke City:
Grant; Johnson, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters; Whelan, Imbula; Diouf, Allen, Krkic; Walters
Key Battles:
Sadio Mane vs Erik Pieters:
The Senegalese winger is in fine form this season and is the top goal scorer for Liverpool so far this season. He is a the top of his game and will be up against the Dutch full back Pieters who has been decent this season. This battle has what it takes to decide the outcome of the game come the final whistle.
Joe Allen vs Ragnar Klavan:
The Welsh international is in the form of his life this season and is easily the most influential player for Stoke this season. Having previous played at Anfield, he will know most parts of the ground and about the team and can easily have a drastic effect on the game. However, he will be up against Klavan, who has been solid off late. Both players will have to be at their best for their sides to stand a chance at a victory in this game.
Key Stats:
Liverpool have won five of their last six Premier League games against Stoke, losing the other 6-1 in May 2015.
Stoke beat Liverpool in the 2nd leg of their League Cup semi-final last January 1-0, though they were eliminated on penalties. This ended a run of 36 games without a win in any competition at Anfield. They then lost 4-1 in April in the Premier League there.
Liverpool are unbeaten in 15 Premier League home games (W9 D6 L0) – the longest current unbeaten home run in the competition.
The last time that they went on a longer run at Anfield in the Premier League was a 31-game unbeaten streak between December 2007 and August 2009.
Joe Allen has scored five goals in 16 Premier League appearances for Stoke City this season; one more than he scored in his entire Liverpool career in the competition (four goals in 91 games).
Mark Hughes has never won a Premier League game as a manager at Anfield (W0 D4 L6). He also suffered his heaviest defeat as a player in the competition there; 1-7 for Southampton in January 1999.
Stoke have failed to score in 11 of their previous 17 trips to Merseyside in the Premier League (against Liverpool and Everton combined).
Sadio Mane has had a hand in eight goals in his last nine Premier League appearances (five goals, three assists).
Jurgen Klopp named an unchanged starting XI in his last Premier League game (versus Everton) – only the third time he’s done this in the competition but he’s never done it in successive PL matches.
Liverpool have kept two successive Premier League clean sheets – they have not kept three in a row in the competition under Jurgen Klopp before.
Betting Odds:
Liverpool: 1/3
Draw: 51/10
Stoke City: 11/1
Predictions:
Liverpool are unbeaten at Anfield this year under Jurgen Klopp and they will hope to keep up their good work for the rest of the season including this game. Stoke have a decent team that can scare the Reds but with their rampant form at the moment, Liverpool are expected to take all three points from this game.
Our Prediction: Liverpool 3-1 Stoke City