Liverpool will begin the new Premier League season hoping that their first game does not end in the same humiliating fashion as their last visit to Stoke City.
The Reds suffered a 6-1 thrashing at the Britannia Stadium on the final day of the last campaign, but the visitors are expected to name a much-changed lineup on Sunday.
Stoke City
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In the past seven seasons, Stoke have proved to be one of the success stories in the Premier League and last term's ninth-placed finish was another step in the right direction for manager Mark Hughes.
The Welshman has continued the previous good work done by former boss Tony Pulis in his two years at the club and has helped to shake off the once-renowned image of Stoke being a long-ball team.
There has been more cause for optimism ahead of the new campaign, with the headline signing of former Barcelona man Ibrahim Afellay, while Joselu has arrived for a reported fee of £6m after an impressive season at Hannover.
Fellow acquisitions Glen Johnson, Marco van Ginkel and Philipp Wollscheid, who has signed on a permanent basis after spending last season at the Britannia, have also added to a strong squad.
It has not gone all their own way though, as influential midfielder Steven N'Zonzi has joined Europa League holders Sevilla, while goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has moved to Chelsea to battle Thibaut Courtois for the No.1 jersey.
Their pre-season form may also be a worry for Hughes, as his side have lost four of their six games over the summer, but he will know that the real work starts this weekend, against a club who they convincingly beat just over two months ago.
Recent form: LWWLLL
Liverpool
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While Hughes was praised for his efforts last season, the same cannot be said of his Liverpool counterpart Brendan Rodgers, who will head into the new season under huge pressure from the club's owners and fans.
The Reds boss almost guided the club to a first league title in 24 years two seasons ago, before a late collapse saw them lose out to Manchester City.
They were expected to challenge again last time around, but a poor start saw them fall off the pace and they eventually finished in sixth after that final-day defeat to Stoke.
It proved to be a humiliating experience for everyone involved at the club and it marked a miserable end to Steven Gerrard's career with the Reds ahead of his move to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
There was plenty of speculation that Rodgers would lose his job, but he retained his position and has made a huge number of changes to his squad. Christian Benteke, Roberto Firmino and Nathaniel Clyne have all arrived for big-money fees, with James Milner and Danny Ings joining on free transfers.
The Reds will also not have to deal with the constant speculation surrounding Raheem Sterling, who completed his £49m move to Manchester City last month. Although losing a player of his quality is sure to be felt, there is a general sense around Anfield that the England international is better off not being with the club.
It remains to be seen just how fast the new signings can adapt to life in Liverpool, but with games against Arsenal and Manchester United to come in the next five weeks, they will have to hit the ground running fast to avoid added pressure from the critics.
Recent form: WWWDWW
Team News
Stoke have been dealt a blow with the news that captain Ryan Shawcross will miss the first two months of the season to undergo surgery on a back problem.
His absence means that Marc Wilson or Marc Muniesa should step into the defence to partner Wollscheid.
There are also likely to be debuts for Johnson and Joselu, but Bojan Krkic is expected to miss out, despite returning to training after recovering from his cruciate knee ligament injury.
Meanwhile, Benteke, Milner, Firmino and Clyne are in line to make their first appearances for Liverpool, while fellow new boys Divock Origi, Joe Gomez and Ings are all expected to be in the squad.
However, Daniel Sturridge is still ruled out and Joe Allen is facing a month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Butland, Johnson, Wilson, Wollscheid, Pieters, Cameron, Whelan, Walters, Adam, Diouf, Joselu
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Mignolet, Clyne, Sakho, Skrtel, Moreno, Henderson, Milner, Coutinho, Lallana, Firmino, Benteke
Head To Head
Despite Stoke's six-goal mauling of Liverpool last season, they had lost their previous three matches against the Reds, including a thrilling 5-3 defeat at the Britannia last January.
The Potters have won four of their Premier League matches against Liverpool, with all of those coming at home, while the Reds have claimed seven victories.
We say: Stoke City 1-1 Liverpool
It is hard to see this match ending in the same way as it did when the teams last met, and Liverpool will be hoping to return to the Britannia to regain some pride. The Reds will have learned from the poor defensive mistakes that they made, so we expect the visitors to come away from the Britannia with a share of the spoils.
Alex Meyers
