Premier League preview: Liverpool v Stoke

Liverpool will need to be willing to adapt their game when they take on Stoke in the English Premier League on Wednesday.

Tony Pulis’ side have a reputation for playing a direct, uncompromising brand of football, a style which saw them get the better of Liverpool earlier this season at the Britannia Stadium.

The Reds lost 2-0 on that occasion and manager Kenny Dalglish is determined to avoid a repeat this time around.

“My next managerial challenge on the pitch comes against Stoke City at Anfield on Wednesday night,” Dalglish said.

“I’ve always had to adapt to facing different styles as a manager; in my first time at Liverpool we had to play the likes of Millwall, who had Teddy Sheringham and Tony Cascarino and played a very direct game, or Wimbledon, who were led by John Fashanu.”

“Whether it’s Arsenal’s passing style or Stoke’s long throw, you have to try to deal with it and combat it.”

“And let’s credit Tony Pulis with doing a good job at Stoke. It’s common sense for a manager to select a style that suits his players.”

Liverpool head into the match on the back of two straight wins, against Wolves and Fulham, and can equal their best run of the season with a win on Wednesday.

Dalglish has plenty of options to choose from, with only defender Jamie Carragher unavailable through injury, while new signing Luis Suarez is also a chance to play, with the Uruguayan forward expected to complete his transfer from Ajax on Monday.

It remains to be seen whether unsettled striker Fernando Torres will join him, with Chelsea expected to make a last-ditch bid to lure the Spanish ace before the transfer window closes on Monday.

Stoke’s 1-0 FA Cup win over Wolves on Sunday starts a run of three games in seven days for Pulis’ side, and the manager was disappointed with the scheduling log-jam.

“We have got the short straw because we go to Anfield on Wednesday night and then Sunderland on Saturday morning,” Pulis said.

“I’m a bit disappointed at the FA Cup and its placing in the calendar with the smaller clubs not having squads as strong as the top sides.”

Stoke are just two points behind Liverpool with a game in hand, and could move as high as seventh with a win on Wednesday.

However, Stoke have never won at Anfield, with their best result a 0-0 draw in 2008.

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Premier League preview: Stoke v Bolton

Bolton and Stoke will be looking to consolidate their position in the top 10 of the Premier League when they meet on Saturday.

Both sides have belied their status as lesser-lights in the top flight, surging into the top half of the competition with some consistent performances in the first half of the season.

With a game in hand, 10th-place Stoke are just six points outside of the top six, but such is the evenness of the Premier League this season that Tony Pulis’s side remain only seven points clear of West Ham at the bottom of the table.

And Pulis is well aware of the significance of the match as he prepares to welcome the Trotters to Britannia Stadium.

“You only have to take one look at the Premier League table to realise that this will be another tough game for us,” Pulis said.

“Bolton have had a fantastic season, but we owe them one because they have got the better of us in recent meetings by snatching some late, late goals.”

“We need to produce another big performance and as ever we need the supporters right behind us. It will certainly a big lift to the players to have that additional backing.”

Stoke have one of the shortest injury lists in the Premier League, with only Mali striker Mamady Sidibe unavailable for Saturday’s match.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle, on the other hand, has no such luxury, with Stuart Holden, Gretar Steinsson, Ricardo Gardner, Joey O’Brien, Sean Davis and JLloyd Samuel all sidelined with injury, while Chung-Yong Lee is away on Asian Cup duty with South Korea.

Another concern for Coyle is that Bolton’s form has begun to slide in recent weeks with the Trotters winless in their last three Premier League matches.

They struggled past non-league side York City in the FA Cup at the weekend, with regular starters Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander coming off the bench to score in the last 10 minutes.

Last time the teams met Ivan Klasnic scored in injury time as Bolton won 2-1, beginning a run of four straight losses for Stoke.

Pulis will be hoping a win this time around can spark another streak, this time a winning one.

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