Image source, AFP

There has been a fair bit of discussion in recent days as to whether Daniel Sturridge can be considered an automatic choice for Liverpool these days, given his injury record and the growing confidence of Divock Origi, who scored in Dortmund on Thursday. Jurgen Klopp his playing down such Sturridge talk.

"He doesn’t have to show a reaction," Klopp says. "He should play football. He should play with a smile on his face. He’s more of an artist. Football is an art. We can use him wherever he wants to get the ball. He has nothing to prove."

Even allowing for Henderson's injury, and the fact that fellow midfielder Emre Can is suspended, this is a mix-and-match selection from Jurgen Klopp, who makes seven changes to the side that started in Dortmund. Only Simon Mignolet, Nathaniel Clyne, Alberto Moreno and James Milner retain their places. Daniel Sturridge is recalled in attack, while Sheyi Ojo and Kevin Stewart make their first Premier League starts.

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Image source, EPA

Liverpool also have injury troubles. Captain Jordan Henderson will miss the rest of the season after damaging knee ligaments during last Thursday's 1-1 first-leg draw in Dortmund.

The England midfielder is a major doubt for Euro 2016 too. His country's campaign starts on 11 June, nine weeks away. Roy Hodgson announces his squad on 12 May.

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Stoke may not have won at Anfield in the league for 57 years, but they did beat Liverpool there in the League Cup in January. A 1-0 victory on the night - thanks to Marko Arnautovic's goal - tied up the aggregate score at 1-1, before Liverpool won on penalties. Today, they face a team who perhaps have other things on their mind. Liverpool have the small matter of a Europa League quarter-final second leg against Borussia Dortmund coming up on Thursday...

Hughes' stat is spot on, though. In 1959, Stoke won a Division Two match 4-3 at Anfield, the day before Michael Scudamore rode Oxo to victory at Aintree. Yesterday, it was 19-year-old David Mullins guiding Rule The World home. What chance a Potters victory at Liverpool this afternoon?

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"Here's a killer stat for you," the Stoke manager Mark Hughes said as he faced his weekly press conference on Friday. "The last time we won at Anfield in the league, it was the weekend of the Grand National. Maybe that's a good omen for us."

You've done your homework, his interviewer said. Hughes nodded towards Fraser Nicholson, Stoke's press officer. "It was Fraser who came up with that one," said the manager, dispelling all illusions that he was a secret Statto.