Match Preview: Will Liverpool Rebound Against Stoke?
By Paul Drake
Liverpool drew, 2-2, against Bournemouth on Wednesday and turn around to face Stoke City away. Klopp has encouraged his players to fight more like Chelsea, it will be interesting to see how the players react after a heartbreaking draw at home.
Liverpool enter the match on Saturday 3rd in the Premier League table, and are 3-2-0 in their last five. Also, they are the league leaders in goals with 66, a powerful attack is what they will need in this redemption match against the Potters.
Jürgen Klopp will be desperate for a win against Stoke City. The Reds travel to bet365 Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent, which is no easy place to play. In addition, Klopp’s prized-possession Sadio Mane is out for the season, according to Liverpool FC News, due to a significant knee injury. So, how will Klopp and his side respond in midst of the chaos?
Liverpool Must Rebound Quickly
Liverpool need to use this match against Stoke City to prove that they have some football-grit and are worthy of a Champions League spot next season. True Champions League sides don’t struggle against lower-table sides in their domestic leagues, but the Reds have done just this all season.
The inconsistency has been heart-wrenching for Reds fans. Playing with consistency will be more difficult for Liverpool with the latest news that Sadio Mane will be out the rest of the season due to a knee injury, against Everton in the Merseyside derby.
An encouraging fact for Klopp’s side going into Saturday is that against Bournemouth, Divock Origi was on fire. Origi looked focused and tight, he lost the sloppiness that sometimes accompany his play.
Stoke City currently sit in 12th place in the table and Mark Hughes are striving for high finish, and it is possible that the Potters move up to as high as 8th with spots 9-11 being separated by just one or two points.
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The Potters have an opportunity with this home fixture to redeem their 1-0 loss against Burnley on Tuesday. There are just seven matches remaining if they Stoke are going to make their move it should be now.
But Stoke will have a tough match ahead of them. Liverpool destroyed Hugh’s side 4-1 at Anfield in December. The Reds racked up 4 goals: Lallana, Firmino, and Sturridge all scored, and Imbula gave Klopp a late Christmas present with an own-goal.
Sturridge and Firmino are likely to be in the starting eleven for Klopp and have obviously had some success this season against Stoke City. The Potters will face a furious Klopp and a strong Liverpool side looking for redemption.
Injuries
It will be another difficult match for Jürgen Klopp to assemble his squad. Something to keep an eye on is whether Philippe Coutinho will have recovered from an illness. He has missed training at Melwood the past two days, which is not a good sign. Klopp may choose to slot Daniel Sturridge or Ben Woodburn in Coutinho’s attacking role.
Adam Lallana is still out with a thigh injury, Klopp said, “Adam Lallana is better, much better, but is of course no option for the weekend because he is not training. He feels good, he is on a good way, but the problem with this is it is kind of a shooting muscle.”
Jordan Henderson remains out with a foot injury, Klopp added, “Hendo is also in a good way but we don’t know exactly when he can be part of training again.” That is some unsettling news as the Reds captain continues to be nagged by injuries.
Match Predictions
Liverpool Starting XI
Mignolet
Clyne, Lovren, Matip, Milner
Can, Lucas, Wljnaldum
Firmino, Sturridge, Origi
Liverpool 2 – 1 Stoke City
Liverpool again are the favorites to win this match but coming off a shaky draw might prove to be a mental-block for Klopp’s side. The Reds have won two of their last three trips to bet365 Stadium. With talent and tactics on their side, I see Liverpool taking 3 points away from this road match.
Ways To Watch
Date: Saturday, April 8
Time: 3:00pm GMT, 10:00am ET
Venue: bet365 Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent
TV Info: NBC (US)
Streaming Info: NBC Live App
Next: Why Can’t Liverpool Beat The Smaller Teams?
All statistics provided by Squawka.com