Stoke City v Liverpool preview: Reds seek revenge for 6-1 thrashing in May-new

Stoke City v Liverpool preview: Reds seek revenge for 6-1 thrashing in May

Team news, manager quotes, match facts and odds ahead of the Premier League match between Stoke City and Liverpool.

Liverpool will be itching for revenge after losing 6-1 to Stoke on the final day of last season - and they'll have a host of new faces to help them put right what went wrong in May.

TEAM NEWS

Stoke will be without captain Ryan Shawcross against Liverpool, but striker Bojan Krkic is in line to make his first competitive appearance in seven months. The Potters this week revealed centre-back Shawcross required surgery on a troublesome back issue and will miss at least two months of the campaign, with defender Marc Wilson (ankle) also unlikely to face the Reds having not trained all week. Bojan returned to action this summer following his long-term knee problem and could even be selected from the start by boss Mark Hughes, who expects new signing Ibrahim Afellay to feature but could be without Marko Arnautovic due to a thigh strain.

Liverpool will be without Joe Allen for their 2015-16 Barclays Premier League opener against Stoke at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday after the midfielder was ruled out for three to four weeks with a hamstring problem. The other definite absentees are striker Daniel Sturridge (hip) and defender Jon Flanagan (knee), who are expected to return in early September and just prior to Christmas respectively. The likes of summer recruits Christian Benteke, Danny Ings, Roberto Firmino, James Milner and Nathaniel Clyne are poised for Reds debuts, while it remains to be seen whether forwards Mario Balotelli and Fabio Borini - who both look set to leave the club - are involved.

MANAGER QUOTES

Mark Hughes: "I don't think there's too many of us that feel what happened in that [6-1] game will be repeated. We'd like to think it would be but Liverpool will have a lot to say about it. At the beginning of the season expectations are always high for everybody and no less so from a club the stature of Liverpool. They'll be wanting to address that, it was certainly a blot on their copybook. I've heard their players talk about how they want to make sure that it doesn't happen again. The reverse of that is obviously we'll have something to say about that as well."

Brendan Rodgers : "When the fixture came out, I felt we couldn't have had a better one to be honest. I think lots of people looked at it wondering whether we would have been better going back later, but for me it was the perfect fixture and I was happy when it came out. The reaction (to the 6-1 loss) over the course of the summer has been terrific and it gives us real motivation now to start the season well."

MATCH FACTS

Stoke v Liverpool will be the first fixture in Premier League history to be played in consecutive games at the same venue.

Liverpool’s 6-1 defeat in this fixture on the final day of 2014/15 saw them concede six times in the league for the first time since 1963 (2-7 v Spurs).

Liverpool have only drawn a blank three times on the opening weekend of a Premier League campaign (92/93, 05/06, 12/13).

Stoke have won just once on the opening weekend of a Premier League season – 2009/10 vs Burnley.

Liverpool have been shown more yellow cards on the opening weekend than any other team in Premier League history (44).

Stoke have scored 21 goals from outside the box in two PL seasons under Mark Hughes; they scored 13 in five under Tony Pulis.

The Reds have only won one of seven Premier League games at the Britannia (D2 L4), winning 5-3 in 2013/14.

Roberto Firmino has recorded 21 assists over the last two seasons, more than any other Brazilian in the top 5 European leagues.

If only English goals counted, Liverpool would have finished top of the Premier League last season on 71 points, nine ahead of Crystal Palace and Tottenham.

The Potters have scored in their last 11 home league games; only Chelsea (19) can boast a longer current run.