Liverpool v Stoke preview

Liverpool's new signing Luis Suarez is expected to make his debut, but £35m recruit Andy Carroll will have to wait for his first appearance due to injury.

Stoke will again be without Danny Higginbotham due to his hamstring problem.

Defender Ryan Shawcross serves the final match of a two-game suspension following his sending off against Fulham.

It has been a quite bewildering month at Liverpool Football Club. The year began under a cloud with Roy Hodgson's ill-fated reign at Anfield coming to an unseemly end with defeats by Blackburn and Blackpool.

Cue the dramatic return of the legendary 'king' Kenny Dalglish and an upturn in the club's fortunes. But just when the former Reds hero had placed a steady hand on the Anfield tiller, a week of unprecedented transfer chaos unfolded.

Few could have predicted a week ago that Fernando Torres would have moved to rivals Chelsea for £50m, let alone that the club would react by smashing the transfer record for a British player by signing Newcastle striker Andy Carroll. Add in the arrival of Luis Suarez, who had only hours earlier arrived for a then club record fee, and you could forgive Wednesday's opponents Stoke for not knowing what to expect next.

Before the developments of the last few weeks the Potters would have fancied their chances of a first ever top-flight double over the Reds, especially considering how insipid Liverpool were when Stoke bullied them off the park in November.

But given how fired up the Anfield crowd will be on Wednesday, Tony Pulis must feel the odds have lengthened against his side ending their horror run of failing to muster a single victory in 47 top-flight visits to Anfield, dating back to 1894.

Source: BBC Sport

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