Liverpool Vs Stoke City: SUN 7 OCT 2012: K.O. 1500

Vs

LIVERPOOL F.C.      Stoke City

Not on Live UK TV.

Well,  After Thursdays disappointment we have the post-Europa League Sunday game with a 3pm kick-off.
We should beat these hands down with ease, but Stoke have a habit of being very physical and these may be our Achilles heel with the "youth" being a little light weight.

With this in mind what will the Ref do? Allow the kickings and thuggery or actually protect our players, and give the decisions that we feel have been fragrantly ignored. I feel this will be the deciding factor in the final result.

Stoke may have 4 ex Liverpool players!  Charlie Adam, Peter Crouch, Jermaine Pennant and, of course, Michael Owen. Will they all play, and if so, will they play to put us to the sword, Will Adam actually have a decent game at Anfield? If Owen plays, what kind of reception will the ex-Man Utd player get?

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
Stoke have lost 39 and drawn 10 of their 49 top-flight visits to Anfield.
The Potters have not scored at Anfield in their four previous Premier League visits and have managed just one goal in their last 11 league games at the ground.
In the previous eight Premier League meetings between these two sides, the away side has never won.
Liverpool
Liverpool are looking to avoid suffering three straight home league defeats for the first time since September 1963.
The Reds have won just four of their last 19 home league games and are yet to win at Anfield in the league this season.
The Merseysiders have kept just one clean sheet in their last 16 Premier League games.
Three of the nine teenagers who have started Premier League games this season play for Liverpool - Raheem Sterling, Suso and Andre Wisdom.
Stoke
Stoke have won just two of their last 17 Premier League games (W2 D10 L5).
The Potters are without a win in their last 12 Premier League away games (D5 L7).
Only Sunderland have drawn as many games as Stoke (4) in the Premier League this season.
Peter Crouch has failed to score against Liverpool in eight Premier League games since leaving the club
BBC Sport

So there you have it. Another must win game, lets prey, we actually win this one.

Just gunna come & stick 10 men behind the ball them.

Think it will be another one of those games where we dominate possession but cant break them down.

Frustrating draw IMO, but Im a pessimistic b***ard!

Tricky game of the back of a Europa defeat.

The type of game that, if we win, it won't get a second glance, but we'll do well to beat these.

We should be beating Stoke at Anfield.  I don't want to here any we played well, we kept the ball buts tomorrow night. 

Excuses are wearing thin by now to be honest. 

We should be beating Stoke at Anfield.  I don't want to here any we played well, we kept the ball buts tomorrow night. 

Excuses are wearing thin by now to be honest. 

Sunday my friend. Don't want you bad mouthing MotD when they don't even show us tomorrow.

49 games without a win at Anfield.
Longest running stat of it's kind apparently.
Keep it going.

49 games without a win at Anfield.
Longest running stat of it's kind apparently.
Keep it going.

Us or Stoke

Clean sheet please for the love of F***ing god. That should be our first target for Sunday is keeping the ball out of our own F***ing net.

We could break club records for passing but for F**k sake. Score and keep your concentration for the full 90. They'll know we'll be seeing 70%+ of the ball and will be countering at every opportunity.

Let's just go out and beat these in style and show them how football should be played.

Like someone said above though I have a feeling this will be a frustrating game for us but if they don't see too much of the ball in feel we have enough to win the game.

Us or Stoke

Your stats were in relation to Stokes games at Anfield.

It's time to get back on the bike and give Stoke a good thrashing,no excuses put our strongest 11 out to start the game then show Stoke who is the Boss from the kickoff.

The squad just haven't got that killer instinct yet. I can see this one being frustrating.

At the moment, there's an ocean of space between the midfield and defence when teams counter attack and  we often struggle. If we can close those space up a bit and put one of our players, ala Didi or Masch in-between to mop things up, we should be ok. I think Stoke may give us a surprise and come out attacking us from the first whistle, try to score an early goal and close shop and we have to prepare for it. Crouch is in fine form and someone must be assigned to close him down.

BR must give stern warning to some of our players often in slumber mode from the first whistle and to threat this game seriously and not to take it casual and easy.

Reina; Wisdom, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson; Allen, Gerrard, Sahin; Suso, Suarez, Sterling.

Jones; Coates, Carra; Henderson, Assaidi, Downing; Borini



2-0, Suarez and Sahin.

Yep it will definitely be this starting line up (above), no doubt about that. I hope we get the win as i think it could prove a real turning point of the season. No disrespect to Norwich but this is a far tougher test and it will let us all know where the team is really at. Can't see it being 0-0 again though. I think both teams will score and if either team win it'll be by a very fine margin,

We're due to put a total match together. I sense a 2-0 win. 

I predict a dominating day for Sahin.  Goals by him and Borini.

Hope to see this team:

Reina
Wisdom Skrtel Agger Johnson
Allen Sahin
Gerrard
Suso Suarez Sterling

4-0 us; Sterling, Suarez, Suso, Adam (OG).

We should be beating Stoke at Anfield.  I don't want to here any we played well, we kept the ball buts tomorrow night. 

Excuses are wearing thin by now to be honest. 

We could break club records for passing but for F**k sake. Score and keep your concentration for the full 90. They'll know we'll be seeing 70%+ of the ball and will be countering at every opportunity.

Agree with these.

I sometimes think that the more of the ball we have, the more we tend to underestimate our opposition.

Happened towards the end of the first half against Udinese - they didn't have the ball - then when we came out for the second half i think the players just expected more of the same and it backfired.

We had the ball for so long that we forgot what to do when they have it!

Don't wanna hear any passing stats after this game either. That's starting to grate already.

I would like to see us play 3 at the back against Stoke. Not only to offset the usual big boot and long throw tactics employed by Stoke, but to give us a little more reassurance at the back while giving our wing backs free rein to get forward and stretch Stoke at the back.

                             Reina
 
            Skrtel      Coates     Agger

Johnson                                         Downing

            Sahin     Gerrard    Allen

                Suarez  Sterling

Close game with few chances, hopefully we take ours and win 1-0. (The last couple of times I predicted a close low scoring game we scored 5 .....so here's hoping )

Could see a few people getting a bit tetchy with Rodgers if we lost this so I'm praying for a win.

So who are you dropping to accommodate 5 at the back.

I would like to see us play 3 at the back against Stoke. Not only to offset the usual big boot and long throw tactics employed by Stoke, but to give us a little more reassurance at the back while giving our wing backs free rein to get forward and stretch Stoke at the back.

                             Reina
 
            Skrtel      Coates     Agger

Johnson                                         Downing

            Sahin     Gerrard    Allen

            Suso      Suarez  Sterling

Close game with few chances, hopefully we take ours and win 1-0. (The last couple of times I predicted a close low scoring game we scored 5 .....so here's hoping )

The Reds have won just four of their last 19 home league games and are yet to win at Anfield in the league this season.

That is not all down to bad luck is it?