Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between Liverpool and Stoke City at Anfield. The pressure is on the home side after the teams around them in the table all won yesterday, while Stoke have the opportunity to climb into the top half if they can pick up what would be a shock victory on Merseyside. Before we get into all that, though, let's take a look at some team news...

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Mignolet; Clyne, Lovren, Klavan, Milner; Henderson, Wijnaldum, Lallana; Mane, Firmino, Origi

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Karius, Sturridge, Moreno, Lucas, Can, Ejaria, Woodburn

STOKE STARTING XI: Grant; Johnson, Shawcross, M. Indi, Pieters; Diouf, Allen, Whelan, Imbula, Walters; Crouch

STOKE SUBS: Given, Bony, Afellay, Adam, Shaqiri, Bojan, Ramadan

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well perhaps the headline news as far as Liverpool are concerned is the inclusion of Roberto Firmino, despite the Brazilian having been arrested on Christmas Eve and subsequently charged with drink-driving. He will once again lead the line this afternoon as Daniel Sturridge starts on the bench, although the England international has proven himself to be quite the impact sub at times this season - not least last time out against Everton. He is still yet to score in the Premier League this season, though.

Divock Origi is another who is preferred to Sturridge as the Belgian starts once again in Coutinho's continued absence, while on the other flank Sadio Mane gets another start as his departure to the African Cup of Nations draws closer. The Reds will miss the Senegal international, who has quickly settled into life at Anfield following his big-money switch from Southampton. He is in good form too having had a hand in eight goals in his last nine Premier League appearances, scoring five times and setting up another three.

Indeed, it is an entirely unchanged starting XI from the one that squeezed past Everton last Monday, which means another start in goal for Simon Mignolet. The Belgian is yet to be beaten since replacing the under-fire Loris Karius in the side, keeping clean sheets against Middlesbrough and Everton to earn himself a third consecutive start here. There has been plenty of talk linking Liverpool with a move for a goalkeeper in January, but Mignolet will be hoping to keep his form up and persuade Klopp that he is good enough to be the number one again.

Joel Matip remains sidelined with an ankle problem, which means that Ragnar Klavan continues to operate alongside Lovren at the heart of the defence. Clyne and Milner complete the back four, with the latter in particular having impressed despite playing in such an unfamiliar position for the vast majority of the season. The midfield trio also remains the same, with influential skipper Henderson joined in the middle of the park by Wijnaldum and Lallana, who has arguably been Liverpool's best player so far this term.

As for Stoke, there are a couple in interesting selections and omissions made by Mark Hughes today. The headlines news for the visitors is that Peter Crouch leads the line against his former club, making just his second Premier League start of the season and his first since August, which also incidentally came on Merseyside against Everton. He is something of a surprise selection given the likes of Shaqiri, Bojan and Bony are all on the bench, but he will arrive at Anfield with a point to prove.

Crouch is one of three former Liverpool players in Stoke's starting XI this afternoon, with Glen Johnson and Joe Allen also making their returns to Anfield. Allen's move to Stoke in particular has worked out well for the player, with the Wales international having scored five goals in 16 Premier League appearances since his switch to the Potters. That is already more than he managed during his time at Liverpool, when he netted just four times in 91 league outings.

The goals haven't exactly been free-flowing for Stoke this season, but Allen has weighed in with his fair share and there are plenty of players in the squad who are capable of finding the back of the net too. Diouf's pace and power could cause problems if Stoke are able to catch Liverpool's marauding full-backs on the break, while Jonathan Walters is always a threat if they can find him in the right position.

Crouch's inclusion in place of Bojan is the only change made by Stoke for this game from the side that drew 2-2 with Leicester last time out, which means that the defence remains the same. Glen Johnson fills in on the right while Shawcross and Bruno Martins Indi, who was given the yellow card initially shown to Pieters from that match against the Foxes, again partner up at the heart of the defence. Pieters is on the left once more, and Grant continues in goal due to the absence of Jack Butland, who could be sidelined until March now with an ankle problem.

There are players in that Stoke side capable of hurting Liverpool, then, but there is no doubt that the hosts come into this match as big favourites to come away with all three points. The pressure is on them to do so as well having seen Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal all win yesterday - results that saw them slip down to third in the table and level on points with Arsenal. The gap to leaders Chelsea is now nine points, but victory this afternoon would restore things to the way they were before Boxing Day. Defeat, and it would prove to be a costly couple of days for Jurgen Klopp's side.

Liverpool have not been easy to beat this season, though, falling to just two losses across all competitions. Just one of those have come in their last 19 games, while they have won 14 in that time too. The 4-3 defeat against Bournemouth was perhaps the best example of why Liverpool may not win the title this season, and a 2-2 draw with West Ham in their next outing provided more evidence of that, but they since bounced back well with consecutive wins over Boro and Everton.

Those two wins were vital for their points tally of course, especially with Chelsea in seemingly unstoppable form, but the manner of the wins will please Klopp just as much as the points. Far from the collapse against Bournemouth, Liverpool remained solid and stubborn at the back in both games, keeping clean sheets despite being under the cosh for spells - particularly against Everton. Should they prevent Stoke from scoring today then it would be the first time that they have kept three consecutive Premier League clean sheets under Jurgen Klopp.

The 1-0 Merseyside derby win over Everton last Monday was one of those results that is hailed as the sign of potential champions and, while they still have the joint-worst defensive record in the top six, there are signs of improvement. Indeed, Liverpool have somewhat surprisingly kept five clean sheets in their last seven matches in all competitions - the same number as they had kept in their previous 22 before that. They have still conceded six goals in those seven games, thanks largely to that Bournemouth defeat, but things are getting better.

The Reds have been particularly impressive at home so far this season under the new Main Stand and are one of only two remaining teams who are unbeaten in front of their own fans in the Premier League this term. They have only played seven games here - at least two fewer than everyone else - but they boast the best goals-per-game ratio in that time, average three every outing. Indeed, in all competitions they have scored 25 goals in nine games, conceding just seven.

Liverpool's impressive home form goes further back than this season, though, and you have to go back to January 26 for their last defeat here in any competition. Coincidentally that came at the hands of Stoke City in the semi-final of the League Cup, with the Potters winning 1-0 only to then be eliminated on penalties. Their current 15-match unbeaten Premier League record at home is the longest in the division, and their longest as a club since a run of 31 from December 2007 to August 2009.

For all their defensive improvement, it is Liverpool's attack which remains their main strength. Even having played a game fewer than most of the teams in the division they boast the most goals scored with 41 from just 17 outings. The players certainly seem to have bought in to Klopp's style, and crucially Liverpool have goals throughout their team, from the likes of Milner in defence through to Lallana and Henderson in midfielder and then, of course, the potent front three.

There are plenty of players for Stoke to be wary of today, then, but they will be feeling a lot more confident coming to Anfield now than they would have a few months ago. The Potters got off to a dreadful start to the season, picking up just one point from their opening five games, including a run of four straight defeats. Since ending that miserly run, though, they have only been beaten twice in their last 12 league outings and have slowly begun to climb back towards the top half of the table.

Victory today would see them move into the top 10, and surprisingly Stoke are right up there in terms of winning form in recent months. They have won five of their last 10 league outings which, before yesterday's fixtures, was a tally that could only be bettered by Liverpool and Chelsea. They are, however, winless in their last three games, with their most recent victory coming over Burnley at the start of this month.

Since then, Stoke have been beaten by Arsenal and drawn against Southampton and Leicester, which on the face of it aren't the worst results. They 2-2 draw with the Foxes will have felt a lot like a defeat for Mark Hughes, though, as his side appeared to be in complete control at half time. Jamie Vardy had been sent off for the visiting Foxes after just 28 minutes, and goals from Bojan and Allen had given Stoke a 2-0 lead at half time. It looked like game over, but Leicester were like a different team in the second half and goals from Ulloa and Amartey saw them rescue a dramatic late point.

Stoke may actually be a little relieved to be back on the road after that match as their away form is not too bad this season. They have won two of their last four outings on the road, which is the same amount as they had managed in their first 14 Premier League away games of the calendar year. Indeed, they have picked up the same amount of away league points in the last two months as they had in the previous 10 months, so there are definite signs of improvement on the road.

On the flip side, Anfield is not a ground which has been particularly kind to Stoke boss Mark Hughes. Hughes is yet to win here in the Premier League as a manager, drawing four and losing six of his 10 previous visits with a variety of sides. He also suffered his heaviest ever defeat of his playing career on this ground as part of the Southampton side that was thrashed 7-1 in January 1999.

Stoke have been handed a very difficult end to 2016 as far as away fixtures go. Their most recent before this afternoon saw them beaten by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, and now they must see out the year with this trip to Anfield before taking on runaway league leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on New Year's Eve. It has not been an easy December for them by any stretch of the imagination.

Merseyside itself has not been a particularly happy hunting ground for Stoke either. They have failed to score in 11 of their previous 17 trips to face either Liverpool or Everton in the Premier League area, and given that only five teams have scored fewer than them in the league this season, it may be a safe bet for Liverpool to keep a third straight clean sheet today. Stoke are, however, closing in on a milestone of goals scored in the top flight having moved two short of the 3,000 mark against Leicester last time out.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Anfield, which means that it is time for a prediction! This should be quite a difficult game for Liverpool as Stoke have been a tough team to beat since overcoming their shocking start. However, the home advantage and the fact that all of their biggest rivals won yesterday should be enough to help Klopp's side get over the line today. I'm going for a 3-1 home win!

Liverpool have, unsurprisingly, had the better of this fixture in recent years, winning five of their last six Premier League meetings with the Potters. The most recent of those came in April here at Anfield when Liverpool ran out 4-1 winners, with Sturridge and Origi (2) sealing the points after Bojan had cancelled out Moreno's opener. The one exception in the past six league meetings between the two sides was a notable one, though, with Stoke hammering Liverpool 6-1 in Steven Gerrard's final game for the club.

While Stoke's most recent visit to Anfield ended in defeat, they are the last visiting team to have won a game here courtesy of that League Cup triumph in January. That makes them one of just two visiting teams to have beaten Liverpool at home all year, and it was a particularly noteworthy victory as it was the first time they had won at Anfield in their last 37 visiting in all competitions.

Liverpool did the double over Stoke in the Premier League last season, opening up their campaign with a 1-0 win over what was then the Britannia Stadium courtesy of a Coutinho stunner in the 86th minute. In addition to that 4-1 win at Anfield in April they also met twice in the semi-finals of the League Cup, with the away side winning 1-0 on both occasions before Liverpool went on to win on penalties.

Right, we're almost ready to go now! The teams are on their way out and we're just a couple of minutes away from kickoff for the penultimate match of the penultimate gameweek of 2016.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Liverpool get us underway at Anfield!

The first hint of Liverpool's fluid attack as Origi turns away from his man before trying to feed a pass in for Wijnaldum, but it is just too far in front of the midfielder.

This time it is Mane who floats a diagonal ball into a similar area, but it is Firmino who cannot reach it on this occasion. Liverpool have set a good tempo in these early stages, though.

SHOT! The first shot of the match comes from the hosts as they play a corner short and work it all the way to Henderson around 25 yards from goal. He tries to place it into the top corner, but fires it well over.

Grant is called into action for the first time as Firmino gets his head to a cross from the left and flicks it towards goal, but it is easy for the keeper.

Firmino picks the ball up around 25 yards from goal this time and works space to shoot, but his effort hits Mane. Liverpool are camped inside the Stoke half at the moment, though.

Mignolet has his first piece of action of the day, and he does it confidently. A lofted cross into the box looks like it could be dangerous for a moment, but Mignolet comes out to claim it and take the pressure off his defenders.

It has been all Liverpool in these opening exchanges, but Stoke break the deadlock! An initial cross into the box is cleared, but Stoke collect possession once again and Pieters puts another delivery into the middle. This time Walters gets across his man and flicks a header goalwards, and Mignolet can't keep it out despite getting a good hand to it.

There will be question marks asked of Mignolet after that goal. It was not a howler by any means as the ball arrived at him very quickly, but he did get a good hand to it and probably should have done better. With the scrutiny on Liverpool keepers at the moment, that is not what Mignolet needed.

SHOT! Liverpool look for a quick response as the ball breaks to Milner and he tries to curl it into the top corner with a first-time effort from range, but it flies over the top.

CHANCE! Big chance for Stoke to grab a second, and it is Allen who comes close against his former club! The midfielder breaks into the box and tries to roll his finish into the bottom corner, but Mignolet makes a big save with his feet. The ball breaks to Pieters, but his shot is cleared away from Klavan just in front of his own line.

Mignolet may be criticised for the goal, but that was a big save from the Belgian which may well have kept Liverpool in the game. Stoke are enjoying a good spell at the moment, though.

Walters loves playing against Liverpool, and he just so happens to be an Everton fan too...

6 - Jonathan Walters has scored more @premierleague goals versus Liverpool than against any other team (6). Favourite. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 27, 2016

CHANCE! Half a chance for Lallana as he brilliantly takes the ball into his path after seeing an attempted flick to Mane intercepted. He shoots with his second bite at the cherry, but his effort is deflected wide.

OFF THE LINE! The pressure is growing from Liverpool now! They almost level things up as Firmino picks up a loose ball in the area before shooting from a tight angle, but Crouch does just about enough to block the ball on the line and put it out for a corner.

Stoke could have a problem here, with Diouf down and needed treatment on what looks like a knee injury. He looks in some pain, but is soon back on his feet and should be fine to continue.

Mark Hughes will be delighted as we approach the half-hour mark in this match. His side have played well and are still carrying a threat when going forward, and so far have limited Liverpool's clear chances.

Almost a chance for a second for the visitors as Pieters takes on a loose ball and bursts forward down the left. He has two blue shirts against one defender in the middle, but his cross is blocked and Mignolet is able to come out and collect it. A let-off for Liverpool.

Half a chance for Liverpool at the other end as a diagonal ball is played in to Origi, but there is too much power on it for him to either go for goal or knock it down to a teammate.

Klopp calls Mane over for a stern word after the winger stopped playing having thought that he was fouled, only for the referee to allow play to continue.

Liverpool have their equaliser, and it is Lallana who has another in what is turning into a brilliant season! Mane collects the ball on the right flank before feeding it into the area for Lallana, whose first touch looks to have let him down. However, the ball bounces off Johnson and back to Lallana, who squeezes it in from a tight angle. Johnson and perhaps Grant could have been more alert, but Liverpool do not care one bit.

YELLOW CARD! Joe Allen is the first name in the book today for a foul on Wijnaldum.

CHANCE! Almost a second for Liverpool! The ball is played down the right channel for Lallana, who turns it back inside for Firmino. It is a great chance for the Brazilian, but he can't keep his finish down.

Liverpool are on top again now after that equalising goal, and having played pretty well for the majority of this half Stoke will now just be wanting to reach half time still level.

13 - Adam Lallana has been involved in more goals than any other midfielder in the @premierleague this season (7 goals, 6 assists). Maestro. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 27, 2016

Liverpool have had a whopping 81% possession since levelling things up, which goes to show just how much they are dominated this game at the moment. Stoke are so far holding firm, though, and the half-time whistle is drawing closer and closer.

Liverpool do turn things around before half time! It is Firmino who ends his mini-goal drought as he collects a pass from Milner inside the area and is allowed to turn. He fires a left-footed effort towards the bottom corner and it bounces off the inside of both posts before crossing the line.

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this first half.

CLOSE! Liverpool are close to a third here as Milner's cross bounces into the path of Mane, who doesn't catch his shot cleanly but directs it inches past the post with Grant beaten.

Michael Oliver brings an end to the first half at Anfield, and it is Liverpool who have turned this match around to take the lead into half time. Stoke have played well for the most part, but Liverpool upped the tempo in the final 10 minutes and there was an air of inevitability about their second goal shortly before the interval.

The opening goal arrived after just 12 minutes when Jonathan Walters netted for the sixth time in his career against Liverpool. Pieters, who has been the visitors' best player in this match so far, provided the cross which Walters glanced past Mignolet at the near post, despite the Liverpool keeper getting a hand to the ball. Mignolet should have saved it, although it was not quite a howler from the Belgian.

Liverpool finally levelled things up 10 minutes before half time, though, as the in-form Adam Lallana made it four goals in as many games with a smart finish from a tight angle. The midfielder's initial touch looked like taking the ball away from home, but it bounced off Johnson and back into his path, allowing him to sneak it in at the near post. Grant perhaps could have been more alert to the danger, but it all happened very quickly.

The turnaround was completed with just a minute left until the break as Firmino ended his mini-goal drought. The Brazilian collected Milner's pass inside the area and was allowed to turn before firing his low left-footed strike against the base of both posts and in. There have been other chances for either side in this one, with Mignolet denying Allen and Firmino seeing a shot cleared off the line, and hopeful the second half will be just as action-packed.

KICKOFF: Stoke City get us back underway at Anfield as they look to turn this game around in the coming 45 minutes.

Klopp will want his side to pick up where they left off in this second half. The break probably came at a bad time for the hosts as they were really on top for the final 10 minutes or so.

CHANCE! Lovely football from Liverpool down the left as Milner plays a couple of one-twos with Wijnaldum to break into the box. The build-up play is brilliant, but the finish lets it down as Milner fires his effort a long way wide of the far post.

Walters wins Stoke a free kick in a good crossing position on the right flank, but the subsequent delivery from Imbula is dreadful and drifts straight out of play for a goal kick.

Good goalkeeping from Mignolet as he comes off his line and plucks the ball out of the air despite Lovren getting a touch just in front of him. The through-ball looked like creating a mix-up between keeper and defender, with Crouch ready to take advantage of anything, but Mignolet was commanding there.

This second half hasn't really got going yet, with Liverpool unable to find their rhythm from the end of the first half and Stoke not carrying as much of a threat as they were at stages before the break too.

Almost a chance for the hosts as a low cross is only cleared as far as the edge of the box, where Wijnaldum is waiting. He lines up a shot, but Lallana nicks the ball off his toes and sees his subsequent effort deflected behind for a corner.

Game over? Liverpool take a two-goal lead on the hour mark courtesy of an Imbula own goal, although the Stoke midfielder had to go for the ball. A lax header invited pressure and Liverpool immediately got on the front foot, with Henderson working the ball out to Origi. His low cross was set to be tapped in by Mane at the back post, but Imbula got his foot to it first to nudge it over the line.

CHANCE! Almost two goals in as many minutes for the hosts as Mane collects the ball on the left side of the area, but his strike bobbles just wide of the far post.

Lallana goes down clutching his face following a collision with Diouf, but the replays show there was nothing much in it. There was contact as the two players went shoulder to shoulder, but it was entirely accidental from Diouf.

CHANCE! Another chance for Liverpool as Lallana dances into the box and stands a cross up to the back post where Clyne is waiting, but his header lacks power and Grant is able to gather.

STOKE SUB: The visitors make their first change of the afternoon as Ramadan Sobhi replaces Whelan.

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Liverpool respond with a couple of changes of their own, and they aren't bad players to be able to bring on. Emre Can and Daniel Sturridge replace Lallana and Origi.

What an introduction! Seconds after coming on, Sturridge has his first Premier League goal of the season, and it is an absolute gift! Shawcross tries to play a pass back to Grant without looking, and Sturridge is lurking to collect the loose ball. He is left with only Grant to beat, and he takes it past the keeper before sliding it into the empty net.

When Stoke took the lead in this match it looked like being a tricky afternoon for the Reds, but this is turning out to be more comfortable that Klopp could have hoped for. They are heading back second in the table, and I wouldn't bet against more goals coming.

CHANCE! Big chance for Liverpool to get a fifth! They work the ball short from a corner back to Henderson, who picks out Lovren in the box with a first-time curling ball. Lovren then steers it back into the middle, but Firmino can't divert it in with the goal gaping.

STOKE SUB: Another change for the visitors, and it is the long-awaited return of Ibrahim Afellay as he makes his first appearance since April. Off comes Diouf.

Good defending from Lovren as Ramadan Sobhi tries to trick his way past the centre-back down the left flank. He is right on the edge of the area so Lovren needs to be careful, but he takes the ball cleanly to stop the attack in its tracks.

CLOSE! Almost a memorable return from injury for Afellay as he finds space to shoot just outside the area. Mignolet looks unconcerned by the powerful strike, but it is dipping viciously and ripples the roof of the net on its way over the bar.

LIVERPOOL SUB: A third and final change from the hosts sees Firmino replaced by Alberto Moreno.

Liverpool's next match, by the way, sees them take on Manchester City - the team they will go above in the Premier League table with this victory. This result and performance will give them plenty of confidence going into that match.

CHANCE! Liverpool are not settling for four here! Mane keeps the ball in before playing it back to Henderson, who tries to just pass the ball into the bottom corner. It hits the heels of Sturridge, though, bouncing up to Moreno whose acrobatic effort is blocked.

STOKE SUB: A third and final change from the visitors as Crouch makes way to a good reception from Anfield, with Wilfried Bony taking his place.

Stoke played well for much of the first half in this match, but as soon as Liverpool got their first goal it felt like they would go on to get more. The visitors have been comfortably second best in this second half and they can have no real complaints at leaving Anfield with nothing.

Almost another chance for Liverpool as Can powers forward down the right flank before playing a cross into the middle.It is just behind Moreno, though, and neither Sturridge nor Wijnaldum can make anything of it.

There will be a minimum of three minutes added time at the end of this match.

A good job well done for Liverpool today, then, as they move back into second and close the gap on leaders Chelsea to six points once again. They didn't have things all their own way in the first half and needed to come from behind after Walters had given Stoke the lead, but as soon as they scored one it seemed inevitable that they would go on to get more. Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino turned things around before half time, while an Imbula own goal and Sturridge's first league strike of the season sealed the 4-1 victory.

Right, that is all we have time for tonight! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for this Premier League clash as Liverpool come from behind to ease past Stoke at Anfield. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now.