Liverpool Vs Stoke City : The Pop, the fizz and the descending euphoria!

Remember drinking your favourite cola. The initial pop is intoxicating, the subsequent fuzz exhilarating but as the initial euphoria dies down, it’s back to square one. Now, pardon me for being a cynic, but I have seen many Tsunami-esque waves of optimism die like an unattended flower. So, when I take a look at KD’s Red Revolution and the consequent positive results, I am bound to ogle with a crooked monocle.

There’s no point in underlining what King Kenny has done for Liverpool in his second stint as the boss. The much-fabled Pass and Move is back and so is the beautiful football. When Liverpool play with the silkiness of a deft artist at work, it brings tranquility, tranquility to all those troubled souls for whom Liverpool is Life. So, when the Reds will line up against Stoke City at the Britannia on Saturday, the Liverpudlians, as ever, will be buzzing. But none can deny the threat Tony Pulis’ Men possess. With the quality summer additions of Crouch ,Jerome and Palacios, the Potters are in no mood to rest on the laurels of their success last season and have already embarked on a seven-match unbeaten run. There’s no hiding the fact that it’s traumatizing for any side to visit the Britannia and come out, unscathed with three points in their kitty. They hound, they howl, they press, they prowl until you succumb to one of their classic throw-ins. With Crouch, Jones and Jerome as their front-men, no goalkeeper will be in for a stroll. So what does this classic Saturday fixture has in store for us? Let’s take a look…

Team News:

Stoke City

Out of the summer trio, England star Crouch is the more likely to be thrust straight into the action, as a possible replacement for Walters, with Pulis admitting both Palacios and Jerome are a little behind the rest of the squad in terms of fitness, having missed majority of pre-season training.

Pulis has a selection headache in the middle of the park with both Rory Delap and Mark Wilson, having suffered over the past week or two with hamstring injuries.

The diminutive gaffer has also revealed the fitness concerns surrounding forward Kenwyne Jones, who featured in international friendlies over the past week.

Liverpool FC

Kenny Dalglish’s healthy squad may soon hit a frenzy as the versatile Glen Johnson is set to be back in action after a long injury lay-off. The concerns surrounding Charlie Adam’s fitness have been subsided and the Scot has been deemed fit to play on Saturday.

The £35million record-signing Andy Carroll may feature against the Potters due to his physical presence against the beasts from Stradffordshire.

The talismanic skipper Gerrard has resumed training but will most likely feature against Tottenham the next weekend. A late check is due on local boy Martin Kelly to ascertain his availability while new signings Craig Bellamy and Sebastian Coates (“Co-wah-tes”) are favored to start from the bench.

Comment Corner

Liverpool will be wary of the unique aerial threat the Potters possess and Lucas was quick to administer his respect towards Pulis’ Men.

“We know how difficult it is to play against Stoke, especially on their own ground. They have a physical game and big players, and their set pieces are always really difficult to defend. We have to go there ready to fight, try to play football and win.

“A lot of big clubs go there and can’t win, but it will be a very good test for us to see how we cope with this type of team.”

On the other hand, Stoke’s high-profile signing and an ex-Red Peter Crouch has send a warning to his former teammates as he looks forward to his debut with his new employers on Saturday.

“A lot of big clubs go there and can’t win, but it will be a very good test for us to see how we cope with this type of team.

It’s always an incredibly hard game to play in, so we have the belief that we can win the game.”

Battles to Relish

Luis Suarez vs Jonathan Woodgate

Facing Luis Suarez on a Saturday afternoon is nobody’s desire and Woodgate will be in for a tough and enduring afternoon, to say the least. The former Tottenham man has the required experience to see off world-class strikers but the deadly Uruguayan is a wily chameleon and disappears with the guile of a predator. It’ll be interesting to see who comes out tops because this engaging battle may yet turn out to be the potential match-decider.

Peter Crouch vs Jamie Carragher

The beanpole vs the evergeen Carra? Wanna bet? Well, Peter Crouch with all his height and Carra with all his experience will fight it out with all gusto. It’s tough to score against Carra’s body-on-the-line defending and Peter Crouch may have to use all his expertise to go one up against the versatile defender. Crouch has been welcomed with open arms at Britannia and it’s repayment time. All in all, an enduring battle!

The Possible Matadors:

Stoke City:

Begovic, Huth, Shawcross, Woodgate, Wilson, Pennant, Whelan, Whitehead, Etherington, Crouch, Jones.

Liverpool FC:

Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Enrique, Lucas, Adam, Kuyt, Downing, Suarez, Carroll

Trivia Stand:

• LFC have never won a Premier League game at the Britannia Stadium, drawing 2 and losing 1

• Stoke have failed to score in four of their last six games against Liverpool

• Should he score, Dirk Kuyt will have achieved 50 goals in the Premier League

• Kenny Dalglish’s side have scored in all but one of their last 13 away league games

• Asmir Begovic has made the joint-highest amount of saves this season, with 21

• Stoke have lost one of their last 10 home league games