High-flying Liverpool travel to the intimidating Brittania Stadium to face Stoke City on Sunday, knowing full well that they will be in for a tough evening. The Reds have not won away to Stoke in their five previous Premier League meetings and with the Potters unbeaten in their last seven at home, Brendan Rodgers’ men will certainly have to be at their best to come away with all three points.
The probable line-up for Liverpool against Stoke City :
Goalkeeper
Simon Mignolet has impressed for the Reds since his summer arrival and the Belgian goalkeeper looks like a certainty to retain his place in the Liverpool starting line-up after a well deserved rest against Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup last week.
Defence
Defence is the area which has been shuffled the most by Brendan Rodgers, with injuries to key personnel affecting the Liverpool backline this season. The likes of Daniel Agger, Jon Flanagan and Jose Enrique are definitely ruled out of the clash due to injury.
On a positive note though, Glen Johnson should make a return to the side at right-back after recovering from a knock picked up against Hull City a fortnight ago. Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho look set to start at the heart of the defence while Aly Cissokho gets an extended run in the starting line-up at left back.
Midfield
Joe Allen is doubtful for the clash due to a groin problem, which means that Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson look set to start in midfield with Lucas providing the shield for the defence behind the duo. Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho will be deployed on the wings, providing support to the lone striker. Daniel Sturridge could also be included in the squad after returning to full training recently, but Rodger may opt against starting the Englishman given that he has just returned from injury.
Striker
Talisman Luis Suarez will undoubtedly lead the line for the Reds while Iago Aspas, who opened his account for Liverpool against Oldham, will be providing a good option from the bench if things are not going as planned for the Reds during the course of the game.
Probable Lineup
(4-5-1)
Mignolet; Cissokho, Skrtel, Sakho, Johnson; Sterling, Henderson, Lucas, Gerrard, Coutinho; Suarez
Liverpool will line up with their flexible 4-5-1 formation which will basically turn into a 4-3-3 while the Reds have possession of the ball.
