Here's a cracking bit of video from Conor McNamara, plugging tonight's radio commentary.

Image source, #bbcfootball

In case you didn't know, Ben-Hur won 11 Oscars. It's regarded as one of the all-time great films - but it's a long one. 

It runs for 212 minutes - about the time it'd take to play this tie over two legs plus extra time.

Epic.

Stoke fans will remember James O'Connor, who was part of the squad which overturned a first-leg deficit against Cardiff to win a League One play-off back in 2002.

He believes Stoke will be fired up by the fact they are being written off by some people.

"I recently saw some bookmaker offering odds on Liverpool winning the final and thought it was pretty disrespectful to Stoke," O'Connor told the Stoke Sentinel.

"I just hope the players and Mark Hughes saw that because I'm sure they'd then use it as motivation ahead of the game."

Of course, Stoke are tonight without the best centre-half yet to be capped twice by England.

Ryan Shawcross could be out for up to a month with the back injury that forced him off in Saturday's defeat at Leicester.

The 28-year-old centre-back spent a spell on the sidelines with a similar problem last season.

He also missed the start of the season after surgery on a back injury before returning at the end of October.

"It is not a recurrence of the injury which required surgery so that is a positive," said Stoke boss Mark Hughes.

Liverpool fans... what do you make of Ryan Shawcross?

I only ask because, speaking on Sky Sports, Reds legend Phil Thompson says the big centre-half would be an ideal signing for a team which concedes so many headers.

“When Liverpool evaluate at the end of the season and look at the sort of goals they conceded, I wouldn’t be averse to see them looking towards Shawcross as a solution," said Thompson., external

“In fact I think he would be absolutely ideal and he’s been one of the most underrated centre-backs over the last five season. You just have to look at Stoke’s stats with and without him.”

Chris Waddle
BBC Radio 5 live at Anfield

"Maybe away from home Stoke need somebody who can bring the ball down and bring the talented players into the game, so they've included Peter Crouch. Stoke will fancy their chances on set-pieces."

Stoke manager Mark Hughes, speaking ahead of the game: "We are going to really push for it. You always remember cup finals and semi-finals because of the excitement and the atmosphere and we want to make it a night to remember.

"Hopefully come 10pm on Tuesday we will be in the final of this competition for the first time in 40-odd years, and I will be reminding the players of that before kick-off."

It's fair to say Liverpool have had the better of meetings between these two sides down the years, as the graphic below shows.In the League Cup, they have met six times and Stoke are yet to record a victory. Now's the time to do it.

Image source, #bbcfootball

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Anfield

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes not exactly keeping his game plan under wraps here - Peter Crouch up front and Xherdan Shaqiri on the bench.

Hughes, like everyone else, has spotted Liverpool's defensive weakness in the air and will use Crouch as the main weapon to try to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg of this Capital One Cup semi-final.

Image source, Rex Features

Stoke manager Mark Hughes won this trophy with Manchester United in 1992, while wearing that shocking blue and white kit which resembled an eighties tea towel.

Stoke, however, have not won it since 1972.

Some would say they're due a big trophy.

Will Bojan, Shaqiri and Walters write their name into Potters folklore just like the 1972 team containing the likes of Conroy, Eastham and Banks?

Don't bet against it.

Image source, Getty Images

I don't know what it is about Anfield and semi-finals, but they seem to produce a particularly special atmosphere. Even Jurgen Klopp knows all about them.

Speaking to the media before the game, he said: "I've heard about the special atmosphere at Anfield in semi-finals and I am really looking forward to it. Let's take the whole power of LFC and take it to the final."

Stirring words. Unless you're of a Stoke persuasion.

If you missed our coverage of the FA People's Cup at the weekend you might have not met people like Liam, aka 'Shakespeare's Understudy'.

He performed his rap about how football helped him turn his life around...

If you'd like to see more people like Liam, you can tune into our special show about the FA People's Cup on the Red Button at 13:00 GMT this Saturday (straight after Football Focus).  

There's a couple of games to tell you about in the Championship tonight. It's the battle of the mid-table sides when Brentford host Leeds and QPR visit Nottingham Forest. There are also seven games in League One and two in League Two.

We'll keep you updated as best we can, including via a midweek Final Score at the top of this page. Or for lovers of a good, old-fashioned vidiprinter, head here.

Liverpool make two changes from the starting XI that beat Norwich at the weekend. Full-back Jon Flanagan is in for Nathaniel Clyne and Adam Lallana replaces Jordon Ibe in midfield.

Stoke make four changes from the starting line-up that lost 3-0 to Leicester. Defender Marc Muniesa comes in for the injured Ryan Shawcross. Peter Crouch, Bojan and Marko Arnautovic come into the attack.

Liverpool XI: Mignolet, Flanagan, Toure, Sakho, Moreno, Lucas, Can, Henderson, Milner, Lallana, Firmino.

Stoke XI: Butland; Johnson, Wollscheid, Muniesa, Pieters; Whelan, Afellay, Walters, Bojan, Arnautovic, Crouch.

Image source, Crystal Palace

Also today, Crystal Palace have guaranteed themselves 20 goals between now and the end of May after signing Emmanuel Adebayor.

He'll then sign a three-year contract and the goals will dry up quicker than a glass of water in the desert.

Call me cynical, but we've seen this before. Right?