It has been a pretty difficult road for Stoke City so far this season. Mark Hughes’ side haven’t managed a win in the last three matches and will surely have a difficult task cut out in front of them when they host an in-form Liverpool side.
The Reds have established themselves as a fiery attacking side this season and with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in their side, they can certainly fancy their chances of a win against the Potters.
But can they get it done on a cold windy night at the BET365 Stadium? The Potters had been brilliant at their home but in the past few seasons, the myth has broken as teams often exploited them pretty badly.
Stoke will be looking to be back to winning ways and Mark Hughes will have to go all out in this match. The Potters squandered a one-goal lead in the last match as Crystal Palace came from behind to send them packing.
Predicted 3-4-2-1 Stoke City Starting Lineup Against Liverpool
Defence
Lee Grant has been holding the fort in the absence of Jack Butland and he might have to step up his game by a few notches against a razor-sharp Liverpool attack.
Hughes has been using a three-man defence and is likely to stick with that. Ryan Shawcross is a Premier League veteran and he will start in the centre of the backline. Kurt Zouma and Kevin Wimmer will be operating from either side of the defence.
Midfield
Darren Fletcher has settled pretty well in the Stoke midfield since arriving from West Brom in the summer and will have to do some defensive shift.
Joe Allen has had good patches and he needs to put a good effort to see out this match.
Mame Diouf has been tested as a right wing-back and he has been quite efficient in that role. Hughes is likely to unleash him again against the Reds.
Eric Pieters will start from the opposite side.
Attack
Ramadan Sobhi has been pretty impressive with his flair and attacking intent on the pitch. The 20-year-old will be in the contention for a place in the starting lineup.
Since Xherdan Shaqiri has been moved to a more central role he seems to have thrived in this withdrawal position. The Swiss international will hold the key if Stoke are to gain anything from this fixture.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has been on and off this season and he will be the lone forward upfront for Mark Hughes’ side.
