Daniel Sturridge is pushing for a start for Liverpool as they prepare to host Stoke in the Premier League on Sunday.
Victory for Liverpool will see them leap above Stoke in the Premier League table, who sit one place above the Reds in eighth heading into the weekend.
Stoke saw their chances of qualifying for the Europa League dealt a blow last week as they threw away a two-goal lead to draw at home against Swansea, and Mark Hughes will know that anything less than three points for his side at Anfield will likely end their chances.
Team news
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has been ruled out for six to eight weeks with a knee injury and is a major doubt for Euro 2016.
Sturridge and Roberto Firmino are pushing for starting places after brief substitute appearances against Borussia Dortmund but goalscorer at Signal Iduna Park Divock Origi could well keep his place.
Stoke have Ryan Shawcross and Xherdan Shaqiri back available for Sunday's Barclays Premier League clash with Liverpool at Anfield, but Glenn Whelan and Marko Arnautovic are doubts.
Skipper Shawcross and winger Shaqiri are each set for their first appearance in three games after recovering from back and thigh problems respectively.
Midfielder Whelan sustained a back issue of his own when getting out of his car, forcing him off in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Swansea, a match which also saw Arnautovic pick up a knee injury. Goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard, who made his Barclays Premier League debut in that contest, is set to remain in the first XI.
Opta stats
Liverpool have won four of their last five meetings against Stoke, with the other game being a 6-1 loss on the final day of last season.
Stoke's 1-0 win against Liverpool in the League Cup semi-final 2nd leg in January ended a run of 36 games without winning at Anfield (D5 L31). They went out of the competition on penalties however.
Each of the three meetings this season between the two sides has ended 1-0 to the away team.
Sturridge has scored three times and assisted three goals in six Premier League games against Stoke.
At Anfield, Liverpool have suffered just one defeat in their last eight Premier League games (W3 D4).
The Potters are now unbeaten in three on the road in the top-flight (W2 D1) after losing each of their three away league games before that.
Stoke have netted a joint-league-high eight goals in the first 15 minutes of their games this season (level with Bournemouth and Man City), which equates to an outright high 22% of their total goal haul.
With seven goals and five assists in the league this season, Philippe Coutinho has already matched his best-ever goal involvement tally in a single campaign (also 12 in 13/14).
Arnautovic has had a hand in 15 goals this season in the top-flight (scored 10, assists five), the most of any Stoke player in a single Premier League campaign.
Merson's predictions
Liverpool in the top four is out of the question for me now. Stoke are a funny team. They play good football, but they're 2-0 up and cruising and then get pegged back for a draw. I saw them get well beaten by Southampton the other week at home, but then they'll beat teams. They're a bit hot and cold at the moment and haven't got that consistency, but they are still a good team.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (Sky Bet odds 7/1)
Betting
Liverpool are 3/5 favourites with Sky Bet to secure all three points against Stoke (9/2) with the draw available at 3/1. The Anfield outfit have been pushed out to 20/1 to secure a top four finish but look a more solid bet at 5/4 to finish in the top six with the Potters 33/1 outsiders. Four of the last five meetings in all competitions have finished 1-0 and Sky Bet are offering odds of 5/1 for the hosts to win by that margin and 12/1 for Mark Hughes' men. The Sky Sports pundits are spilt on the outcome. Check out their tips and bet here.