Good morning! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for today's early Premier League kickoff as Liverpool host
Stoke City at Anfield!
The hosts will no doubt still be buzzing from their incredible 5-2 victory over Roma in the semi-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday night, and their confidence heading into this contest will be in stark contrast to that of relegation-threatened Stoke, who are nearing last-chance saloon now.
It promises to be an important match at both ends of the table, so let's waste no time in having a look at the team news...
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Karius; Gomez, Van Dijk, Klavan; Alexander-Arnold, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Moreno; Salah, Firmino, Ings
LIVERPOOL SUBS: Mignolet, Clyne, Lovren, Robertson, Milner, Woodburn, Solanke
STOKE STARTING XI: Butland; Zouma, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters; Bauer, Allen, N'Diaye, Shaqiri; Crouch, Diouf
STOKE SUBS: Haugaard, Ireland, Adam, Cameron, Fletcher, Ramadan, Campbell
What can we make of those two teams, then?
Well, one of the big question marks regarding Liverpool's selection was how many changes Jurgen Klopp might make with one eye on the return leg against Roma on Wednesday. Klopp insisted that they would not be wholesale changes, but he does make five to the team which started on Tuesday night.
There is also a change in formation as the Reds switch to three at the back, which is a move forced upon Klopp to some extent due to the injury problems Liverpool have been having in midfield.
The headline news in terms of the starters is that
Mohamed Salah is included as he chases the 38-game season record in the Premier League. The winger has been a revelation this season, with his form catapulting himself into the Ballon d'Or argument as well, and he needs just one goal to achieve the highest-scoring 38-game campaign in Premier League history - a feat which cannot be overstated.
Salah is on 43 goals for the season across all competitions following his brace against Roma, and now needs just four more to level Ian Rush's all-time single-season record for Liverpool.
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Salah has a good track record against Stoke as well, scoring three goals from just four shots against the Potters in the past - including with both of his efforts in the reverse fixture.
Salah is joined in the front three by Roberto Firmino, who has also been in scintillating form this season, but Sadio Mane misses out with a dead leg, handing Danny Ings another chance to show what he can do in a front three which has been unstoppable at times this term.
With Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana and Emre Can all sidelined, Klopp switches to a 3-4-3 formation as Henderson and Wijnaldum play in the middle of the park and Milner drops to the bench.
That change also sees room for Gomez and Klavan to come into the team, with Alexander-Arnold and Alberto Moreno providing the width. It may be slightly risky to chance formation when the team is playing so well, but it could be a risk worth taking if it keeps the team fresher for the return trip to Rome next week.
As for Stoke, they are without former Liverpool man Glen Johnson today after he picked up a recurrence of a groin injury last weekend. Kurt Zouma replaces him in the team and is expected to play on the right side of the defence, despite being a more natural centre-back.
Ryan Shawcross and Bruno Martins Indi have established themselves as Lambert's preferred centre-back pairing, though, and they continue there today with Pieters on the left.
Stoke do have a couple of former Liverpool men in their ranks, though, with Joe Allen starting in the middle of the park and Peter Crouch keeping his place up front - not to mention Charlie Adam on the bench.
Crouch is now 37 but has four league goals to his name this season having spent the majority of the campaign coming off the bench. Liverpool have not been the best at defending aerial balls into the box this season, so his height could prove to be a valuable weapon today.
Arguably the biggest threat from Stoke with come via Xherdan Shaqiri, though, with the diminutive Swiss attacker having scored seven goals and created six more in his 33 Premier League appearances so far this season.
Shaqiri is likely to be one of the first players poached from Stoke should they go down, and Liverpool themselves have been linked with him in the past, so it will be interesting to see whether that affects his attitude at all towards the closing stages of the season.
The inclusion of Zouma for the injured Johnson is the only change made by Lambert from the draw with Burnley last weekend, with the Stoke boss insisting that he is happy enough with the performances of his team despite their poor results.
One man who is likely to be busy today is Jack Butland, who is still battling to be England's number one for the World Cup and has also been linked with a move to Liverpool in the past. He is another who could well leave the Potters should they be relegated.
It must be difficult for Liverpool to prevent themselves getting too carried away by the prospect of a Champions League final appearance following their 5-2 win over Roma on Tuesday night, but
Jurgen Klopp has done his best to keep their feet on the ground and focus on this match first and foremost.
It is an important one too, with victory enough to temporarily take the Reds up to second and perhaps even seal a top-four spot once and for all - although that would depend on Chelsea's result against Swansea later today.
A Liverpool win and Chelsea defeat would leave the Blues needing a big swing in goal difference - not to mention a collapse from Liverpool late in the season - to catch them, so this could be the start of a very good week for Liverpool, who face Roma in the second leg on Wednesday before playing Chelsea themselves next weekend.
It could be the case, then, that by the end of next week Liverpool have wrapped up a Champions League final place and guaranteed a spot in the competition next season too, but to achieve the second half of that they need a win today.
Tuesday's scintillating 5-2 win over roma was, of course, marred by clashes outside the ground before kickoff, and at the forefront of every Liverpool player and fan's mind today will be Sean Cox, who remains in an induced coma following an attack by Roma fans.
On a far less serious note, Liverpool also lost Oxlade-Chamberlain for the rest of the season in that Roma match, as well as conceding those two late goals, so it wasn't quite the perfect performance from them, but having been given time to reflect on it they must still be full of confidence heading into this match.
The Reds are now unbeaten in their last eight matches across all competitions and have only lost one of their last 16 stretching back to January, so they are finally starting to find the sort of consistency which eluded them for so long.
That being said, Liverpool would do well to take heed from their most recent Premier League outing, which saw them seemingly comfortable with a 2-0 lead against bottom-of-the-table West Brom, only for the Baggies to launch a late comeback and draw 2-2.
Stoke will no doubt take some belief from that performance, but Liverpool have only lost two of their last 26 Premier League games and the Potters really could do with a victory today.
A draw at Anfield would, of course, be considered a good result in isolation, but Stoke may just be hoping that Liverpool have one eye elsewhere for this one. Certainly the stats suggest that the Reds don't fare too well after Europe, having won just three of their last 10 Premier League games directly following a Champions League fixture.
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Liverpool have managed to turn Anfield into something of a fortress this season too, losing just one of their 26 games in front of their own fans all season, with that coming at the hands of West Brom in the FA Cup.
The Reds come into this match unbeaten in their last eight too, including a run of four in a row which could be improved to five today - something they haven't achieved since November 2016. Chief among the reasons for that good form has been their defensive record at Anfield, where they have kept clean sheets in five of their last six home games - the only exception being Tuesday's win over Roma.
It is more of the same in the Premier League, where Liverpool are the only club not to have suffered a defeat in front of their own fans this season, winning 11 and drawing six of their 17 home outings.
Indeed, you have to go back more than a year for Liverpool's last home league loss now - against Crystal Palace on April 23, 2017 - and they come into this match having won seven and drawn one of their last eight. The Reds have also kept clean sheets in their last three such games, scoring 10 goals in the process.
Those stats certainly do not bode well for a Stoke City side who have the worst away record in the entire division this season, winning just once on the road throughout the campaign so far.
The Potters have picked up just nine of the 51 points available to them on their travels this season, scoring just 13 goals and conceding 37 in their 17 away league matches - 10 of which have ended in defeat.
Matters do not improve when looking at their record across all competitions, with their solitary victory from 19 away games coming way back in October 28 against Watford. Aside from that win they have drawn six and lost 12 of their away games this term.
That run includes an ongoing 13-match streak without a win - 12 in the Premier League - so while their hopes of kickstarting a great escape are not quite dead yet, the likelihood of it happening here at Anfield looks very slim.
Stoke could actually be relegated this weekend if results go against them, starting with a defeat in this match.
There are a cluster of teams still in range of the Potters, but many of them have played a game fewer and Stoke also have a vastly inferior goal difference to make their task even harder. It would take a fairly unlikely series of results for their relegation to be confirmed this weekend, but if Stoke do not win here then it is surely only a matter of time before they go down.
On the flip side, if Stoke do somehow manage to upset the odds and the formbook by picking up a win here then suddenly things look a lot more possible for them - thanks largely to their run-in.
Stoke's final two matches of the season come against Crystal Palace and Swansea - both of whom are still fighting against relegation themselves and both of whom could still be caught by Stoke. It would probably take three wins from three for Stoke to survive from this position, but if they do pull off something special here then they will fully believe that such a run is possible.
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It would take a drastic change of form and fortunes for Stoke to suddenly string together three wins in a row, though - or even one win for that matter as they come into this match without a victory in their last 11 attempts, drawing six and losing five of those.
Indeed, not since January 20 - Lambert's first match in charge - have Stoke won a game in the Premier League, picking up only six points from a possible 33 since then.
Stoke have actually amassed exactly the same number of points in Lambert's first 12 matches as they did in Mark Hughes's final 12 matches at the helm, while since Christmas the Potters have only managed one win in 17 outings across all competitions.
One thing Stoke fans may be able to hold on to ahead of this match is that Paul Lambert has never lost an away game at Anfield as a manager, winning three and drawing two of his five such matches in all competitions.
This particular contest does seem to be a mismatch in many ways, though. Liverpool's attack has been so deadly this season, and they are coming up against the league's worst defence today in Stoke, who have also kept a joint league-low five clean sheets this season.
Stoke have also conceded the opening goal of the game on a league-high 21 occasions this season, while only Man City have opened the scoring more often than Liverpool's tally of 25.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Anfield, which means that it is time for a prediction!
It is very hard to looks past Liverpool for this match, even with the changes from the midweek tie and the importance of next week's game. Often there is a hangover from such a high of Tuesday, but they look very well matched for Stoke today. I don't see another rout, but it should be a comfortable Liverpool win.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Liverpool 3-0 Stoke
As though Stoke's current plight wasn't bad enough ahead of this match, they are also visiting a ground where they have had very little joy in the past.
Indeed, Liverpool have never lost in their 54 previous home top-flight games against Stoke, which is the longest ever unbeaten home run by one team against another in top-flight history. Those 54 matches include 43 wins and 11 draws, so to describe this is a bogey ground for Stoke is understating it a little.
Stoke have won at Anfield in the past, including once as recently as January 2016 in the League Cup semi-final - although they were still knocked out of the competition. That is one of only four wins from their 70 previous away games against Liverpool in all competitions, though, with the other three all coming in the second tier in the 1950s.
The Potters have never scored a second-half Premier League goal at Anfield either, and in their last 16 visits to the stadium they have only managed to find the back of the net once in the second period - with that coming via Paul Bracewell in March 1983.
One of Liverpool's most chastening defeats of the Premier League era came against Stoke when the Potters ran out 6-1 winners in Steven Gerrard's final game for the Reds in the 204-15 season, but Liverpool have won the other eight of their last nine meetings.
That includes a 3-0 triumph in the reverse fixture at the bet365 Stadium, when Salah scored twice after Mane had broken the deadlock in the first half. The most recent meeting here also saw Liverpool win by a three-goal margin, although on that occasion they needed to come from behind to win 4-1.
Right, the players are out on the pitch and we're just about ready to go here. Let's have a quick reminder of the team news before we get started...
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Karius; Gomez, Van Dijk, Klavan; Alexander-Arnold, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Moreno; Salah, Firmino, Ings
STOKE STARTING XI: Butland; Zouma, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters; Bauer, Allen, N'Diaye, Shaqiri; Crouch, Diouf
KICKOFF: Stoke get us underway at Anfield!
Well, we expected Liverpool to play a 3-4-3 system here, but it looks more as though Alexander-Arnold is playing in midfield and the hosts are sticking with a 4-3-3 formation.
This has been a fairly positive start from Stoke, but Liverpool almost break in behind here as Alexander-Arnold reaches the byline before stumbling over as Stoke survive their first scare.
CHANCE! Oh this should be 1-0 to Liverpool! You would bet your house on Salah scoring this as Henderson sends the Egyptian racing clean through on goal after Allen had lost possession, but the winger chips his finish over the keeper and just wide. That is a glorious chance by his standards, and there was a stunned silence around Anfield when it didn't nestle into the back of the net. The record still stands for now.
Anfield is still trying to get over the fact that Salah missed that chance. Stoke have been given an almighty let-off there, but it is a promising sign for Liverpool that Salah was allowed so much space to run through.
Shaqiri tries an early ball over the top for Diouf, but Gomez does well to move across the Stoke man as Karius comes a long way off his line to mop up.
Almost another chance for Salah as Moreno whips a beauty of a cross around the defence, but it is just a yard or so in front of the Egyptian winger, whose eventual shot is blocked.
Stoke have seen a decent amount of the ball in these opening exchanges, but Liverpool's control of the game is beginning to grow now. Stoke are having to resort to long balls forward, which is resulting in Liverpool quickly getting the ball back.
Not much to speak of in terms of clear chances since that Salah miss after only six minutes. It was a big scare for Stoke and they seem to have heeded the warning it fired for now.
Liverpool are beginning to dominate the possession now as Stoke struggle to get hold of it. They are doing a good job of keeping those dangerous Liverpool attackers at bay right now, though.
Karius gets away with one here as he gives the ball straight to Stoke, but Liverpool scramble back and crowd Crouch on the edge of the area before any major damage could be done.
CHANCE! Stoke have their first big chance of the match as Crouch flicks the ball on for Diouf, which leaves the Liverpool defence scrambling. Bauer streaks away from Gomez after the Liverpool man went to ground before picking out Diouf at the back post, but he can only nod his finish into the side-netting.
CHANCE! Liverpool respond with a big chance of their own! Firmino picks out Salah in a bit of space down the right flank, and the winger in turn plays a pass in to Alexander-Arnold. The youngster breaks into the box and only has the keeper to beat, but he cannot get the ball out of his feet and scuffs his finish at Butland.
CLOSE! It is end to end stuff here! Diouf turns the ball around the corner to releases Shaqiri down the right channel and he squeezes the ball into the middle. Klavan gets a slight touch to it which takes it too far in front of Crouch, though, while Van Dijk was also putting the striker under pressure to deny him a simple finish.
Stoke are still in this match after a quarter of the game, and they have even had chances of their own to take the lead, so
Paul Lambert will be pretty pleased with what he has seen from his side so far.
Liverpool are struggling to find their usual rhythm at the moment, and Stoke deserve praise for that. They have learned from the early scare they survived through Salah's missed chance and are making things a lot more difficult for the hosts now.
CLOSE! Almost the opening goal from Liverpool here as a Shawcross clearance only goes as far as Wijnaldum, but the Dutchman drags his effort into the side-netting.
Stoke really are defending stoutly here. It is something they took pride in when first coming up to the Premier League, but it certainly has not been the case for the majority of this season. Lambert will be very pleased with how they are defending.
Liverpool have enjoyed 63% of the possession over the past 10 minutes, which is a sign of their growing control over this game. Chances have not exactly been free-flowing, though.
Butland comes out to claim a ball ahead of Salah, but he spills it gifts possession to the winger. Salah tries to cut inside, but Pieters steps across his path and gives away a free kick - one he won't be too upset to have conceded.
CLOSE! Salah goes for goal from the corner of the area and almost sneaks it in the near top corner, but it ripples the side-netting on its way behind.
YELLOW CARD! The first card of the game is shown to Crouch, who goes diving into a challenge on Firmino.
Stoke have just seven minutes to hold out until half time now, which they will be very happy with. A draw doesn't do a great deal for their survival hopes, but it would still be a good result at Anfield against a Liverpool team in this form.
Alexander-Arnold does well to win the ball in midfield and lift a pass over for Firmino, but the ball skids off the surface and goes out for a throw-in.
DISALLOWED GOAL! Liverpool have the ball in the back of the net, but Danny Ings's celebrations are cut short by the linesman's flag!
It was sensational play from Firmino to turn the ball into Ings's path, and the striker initially played the ball inside for Wijnaldum. Wijnaldum's shot is blocked and deflects back into the path of Ings, who does really well to squeeze his finish in from a tight angle. He has just strayed offside when Wijnaldum took his shot, though.
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YELLOW CARD! Diouf picks up a silly yellow card for kicking out at Moreno when the ball was off the pitch.
More midfielder concern for Liverpool here as Henderson goes down and stays down following a tangle with Shaqiri. This is very concerning for the Reds considering they are already missing some key midfielders.
Henderson is back up as the fourth official indicates three minutes of added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: Liverpool 0-0 Stoke City
The first half comes to an end at Anfield, then, and it has been a fairly flat game so far, which is perhaps to be expected given Liverpool's display last week and their big game coming up.
Stoke are very much in this game and have created a few chances of their own, so Paul Lambert will feel that his side can get something from this game.
The biggest chance of the match arrived after only six minutes, and it was one you would have bet a lot of money on Salah finishing after he was left alone to race clean through on goal.
The winger did everything right by sitting Butland down and dinking the ball over the keeper, but he clipped it just wide when everyone inside Anfield was expecting the net to bulge. It was a sitter by his standards, but for once he could not make the most of it.
There have also been chances for Alexander-Arnold and Wijnaldum, while Ings has seen a goal correctly disallowed for a marginal offside following a very good finish from a tight angle.
Liverpool have not been at their best, though, and Klopp will want to see more from his side in the coming 45 minutes. Stoke do deserve credit too, though, as they have made things very difficult for Liverpool's attack.
The Potters have had a couple chances of their own which should give them plenty of optimism going into the second half.
The best of those saw Bauer race forward down the left flank before playing a cross to the back post where Diouf was waiting unmarked, but he could only plant his header into the side-netting when he perhaps should have nodded it back across goal. Moments later Shaqiri also squeezed a dangerous low ball across the face of goal, but it was just too far in front of Crouch.
KICKOFF: Liverpool get us back underway for the second half here at Anfield!
Concern for Allen here as he goes down with an ankle problem and stays down, despite no other player having been near him. It looked very innocuous, but they can so often be the bad ones.
To the relief of Stoke Allen is back on his feet now and looks like he will be fine to continue.
SHOT! A corner is only cleared as far as Salah on the edge of the box, but after killing the ball with his first touch he fires it well off target with his second.
More injury concern for Stoke here, and this time it looks as though there will be a change. Martins Indi appears to have suffered a groin injury and will not be able to continue.
STOKE SUB: Sure enough there is the change as Ramadan Sobhi replaces Martins Indi. That will see Bauer drop back to right-back and Zouma go inside to the middle.
Sobhi's first involvement is a good one as he breaks through one challenge to reach the byline, but his cross is too close to Karius.
Shawcross leads with his arm when going into an aerial challenge with Firmino, who shakes it off and wins the free kick. Liverpool still struggling to get going here.
Gomez has been very sloppy at times today, and he gives the ball away cheaply again here to gift Stoke a good chance to counter. Gomez eventually atones for his own error with a good block, but it was his pass that put his side in trouble to start with.
It looked as though Pieters would be in for a long afternoon against Salah when he lost him for that early chance, but since then he has done really well against the in-form winger. He has certainly come out on top in that duel so far.
Salah does almost make room to shoot inside the box here, but this time Stoke have doubled up on him and his effort is blocked.
Half a shout for a penalty from the Anfield faithful as Ings goes down in the box under the challenge of Bauer, but Andre Marriner is having none of it - and rightly so.
LIVERPOOL SUBS: A double change from Liverpool here as James Milner and Nathaniel Clyne come on for Alexander-Arnold and Danny Ings.
STOKE SUB: Stoke also make a change as Darren Fletcher replaces Crouch.
CHANCE! Almost an immediate impact from Clyne as he ghosts into the box unmarked as Shawcross is more focused on Firmino. However, he cannot get enough on his header to really trouble Butland.
SHOT! Moreno finds himself in a bit of space outside the box and looks to drill his finish into the bottom corner, but he drags it a couple of yards wide.
We're into the final 20 minutes here and Stoke continue to hold out here. Butland has not had a great deal to do at all today, which is not something he would have been expecting before kickoff.
Henderson tries to slip a pass through for Clyne down the right channel, but he puts too much on it as the ball rolls out for a goal kick.
Here is that Moreno effort from a little earlier, which is about as close as either side has come in this second half...
Moreno whips a beauty of a cross into the box which Salah is interested in, but Zouma defends it really well and knocks it behind for a corner.
We're into the final 15 minutes now! Stoke continue to count down the seconds as they challenge Liverpool to break them down. A chant of 'Attack! Attack! Attack!' rings around Anfield.
Moreno goes flying forward down the left flank before eventually being stopped by a fine challenge from N'Diaye. Both players have been left in a heap after that one, though, and that will result in more stoppage time being added on.
Both players are back up and trying to run those injuries off - Moreno just in time to get a head to a dangerous cross from Pieters.
Liverpool have not been anywhere near their best today and one thing is for certain - they will need to be much better in Rome on Wednesday. There was always the danger that they would produce a performance like this after the high of Tuesday, but it has still been disappointing from Klopp's side.
Van Dijk looks to take matters into his own hands by striding forward and unleashing one from range, but it takes a deflection on its way high and wide.
PENALTY SHOUT! Liverpool want a penalty here as Wijnaldum zips a cross into the box which clearly strikes the hand of Pieters. The referee is unmoved despite the protests, and Pieters gets away with one there!
YELLOW CARD! Van Dijk goes into the book for a challenge on his way back.
CHANCE! What a chance for Stoke to complete a smash-and-grab winner! Diouf is quickest off the mark in the box to beat Van Dijk to the ball and loop a shot towards the far post. It is going wide, but Shawcross is there to almost turn it home at the back post. Huge chance, and one which could prove all-important at the end of the season.
This one is not over yet - there will be SIX added minutes at the end of this match!
SHOT! The ball is cleared as far as Henderson, who tees it up nicely but sees his subsequent volley go flying over.
Half a chance again for Liverpool as Wijnaldum cannot get over the ball from Milner's cross, diverting his header well off target. Not an easy chance at all.
FULL TIME: Liverpool 0-0 Stoke City
Stoke hold on for what could prove to be a vital point at Anfield, then, and they will be delighted with their performance here despite needing a helping hand from the officials late on when
Erik Pieters's handball went unnoticed.
It is a point which may not prove to be enough on their battle against relegation, and in time it may actually prove to be more useful for Liverpool as they edge towards a top-four spot, but the Reds were far below their best today and will need to be much better against Roma in midweek.
Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's early kickoff as Stoke hold on for a goalless draw against Liverpool at Anfield. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
