Stoke vs Liverpool Preview, Team News, Likely Line-Ups & Prediction & Betting Tips

Steven Gerrard will be hoping to sign off on a positive note in his final game for Liverpool when they take on Stoke City on Sunday afternoon.

The long-serving Reds skipper may not have got the result he wanted in his final home game last weekend but he got a superb sent-off from the Anfield faithful and the 34-year-old can expect a similar reception from the away support tomorrow.

Brendan Rodgers will be desperate to finish the season in style and they still need a win to secure automatic qualification to the group stages of the Europa League next season.

Liverpool currently sit fifth in the Premier League table but with Spurs just one point adrift and Southampton a further point behind, there’s still a chance the Merseysiders could finish seventh which would see them miss out on the Europa League altogether if Aston Villa were to win the FA Cup next weekend.

Stoke is always a tough place to go away from home and Mark Hughes’ side surpassed their record points haul in the Premier League with victory at Burnley last weekend – which secured a ninth-placed finish for the Potters.

Team news

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers insists Raheem Sterling is available for selection despite his future hitting the headlines again this past week.

Gerrard is also expected to retain his place in midfield and he’ll lead the side out for the final time before heading of to the MLS.

Mario Balotelli is a doubt but Mamadou Sakho could return to the squad after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Lucas Leiva could come into the midfield to offer more solidity in front of the defence while Rickie Lambert may get a start to provide a focal point in attack against a physical Stoke side.

The hosts have nearly a fully-fit squad to choose from. Stephen Ireland is a doubt with a stiff back while Victor Moses is also struggling with a hamstring problem.

Likely Line-Ups

Stoke 1-1 Liverpool: The visitors are crawling towards the finishing line after a disappointing season and have won just one of their last five matches. Stoke are always a tough nut to crack and I can see this one ending in a draw.

Betting Tips

Liverpool are the narrow 6/5 favourites to win the game but I think it will be a draw and my prediction of 1-1 is available at odds of 6/1. I also like the look of Peter Crouch to open the scoring at odds of 15/2, and if we combine that with a 2-0 win in a score-cast, then we get very tempting odds of 45/1. Surely that’s got to be worth a couple of quid!?

BACK CROUCH TO SCORE FIRST IN 1-1 DRAW AT ODDS OF 45/1

What team would you like to see start? What’s your predicted score?