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Premier League
May 24, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Liverpool logo

6-1

Biram Diouf (22', 26'), Walters (30'), Adam (41'), Nzonzi (45'), Crouch (86')
FT(HT: 5-0)
Gerrard (70')

Live Coverage: Brendan Rodgers's weekly Liverpool press conference

Follow Sports Mole's live coverage of Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers's press conference ahead of his side's final match of the season against Stoke City.
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Brendan Rodgers has insisted that Raheem Sterling still has two years to play on his current Liverpool contract ahead of the club's final match of the season.

It has been speculated that the England midfielder will be leaving Anfield this summer.

The Reds go to Stoke City for their final match of the season on summer.

Read what else the manager discussed below.


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Good morning! It's just over 48 hours until the final round of fixtures in this season's Premier League kick off, and Liverpool have a tricky trip to Stoke City's Britannia Stadium to finish their campaign. Brendan Rodgers will be facing the media in around 15 minutes at the club's Melwood training complex.

It's been a difficult week for the club, with Steven Gerrard's final home match ending in a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace, while speculation that Raheem Sterling could be leaving the club this summer has been fuelled by his agent. Rodgers has been asked about Sterling on an almost weekly basis in the last couple of months, and this morning should be no different.

There has been good news though, as Jordon Ibe and Jon Flanagan have both agreed long-term contract extensions this week.


Liverpool head into this match sitting fifth in the table, knowing that a Champions League spot it out of reach. The Reds will have one eye over their shoulder though, with Tottenham Hotspur just a point behind, and Southampton two points adrift. Their opponents, Stoke City, are already assured of a ninth-placed finish, with Swansea five points ahead of them, and Everton four points back.

As well as the inevitable questions about Sterling's future, Rodgers could be asked more about this summer's transfer window. Arturo Vidal, Christian Benteke and Danny Ings are among those being linked with a move to Anfield this summer, while Lucas Leiva and Rickie Lambert have both been linked with other sides.

As ever, we will have live coverage from this match, and every other fixture taking place this weekend in the Premier League. We'll also bring you all the team news, post-match reaction, match analysis, player ratings and loads more.

Rodgers should also provide us with an injury update this morning. Mamadou Sakho hasn't played for a few weeks but has been back in training, while Flanagan, Enrique and Sturridge are all out with long-term problems. The rest of the squad should be available though.

While we wait for the manager, here are some statistics from the Sports Mole stats centre. With 14 clean sheets and 42 goals conceded, Liverpool's defence has been the sixth best in the Premier League this season. However, with just 51 goals scored, they're behind the likes of Southampton and Spurs in the attacking table.

Right then, Rodgers is in place, so let's see what he has to say this week...

Starting with Jordon Ibe and Jon Flanagan's new contracts, Rodgers says: "Delighted. Two very important players for now and for the future of the club. It allows them to concentrate on the next part of their career here."

It doesn't take long for attention with turn to Raheem Sterling, and Rodgers insists: "It's difficult to comment on what other people speak about, but we've always been here. If we've got meetings to discuss, it'll all be dealt with internally, we don't like to publicise what we're going to do. For me, the concentration for myself is to continue to improve Raheem as a football player. The facts are very simple, Raheem has two years left on his deal and Liverpool and I expect him to see that two years through."

On Sterling's feelings on the speculation, Rodgers says: "I don't see Raheem being unhappy. I think Raheem's representatives made it very clear they wanted to speak at the end of the season. So for us our concentration is on the last game, and I'm sure talks with take place over the summer."

Rodgers is asked about his relationship with Sterling, and he replies: "My relationship hasn't been affected at all. For me, what goes on with contracts, it doesn't change my approached to him. I've always maintained he's a really good boy."

Rodgers believes that the fans will continue to support Sterling: "The LFC supporters always back their own players. If he starts or doesn't start at the weekend, he will get the support of the supporters. The ownership have shown their strength in their time here. They've done an incredible job to stabilise the club and point them in the right direction. Whenever they've had to show that strength they've done that."

Attention finally turns to this weekend's match, with Rodgers telling reporters: "We want to finish as high as we possibly can. Our season doesn't finish until the whistle blows on Sunday. It'll be a tough game for us, but we want to go there and finish as well as possible."

Steven Gerrard will play his final match for the club this weekend, and Rodgers says: "He'll be able to play. It's probably a huge relief for him. I think the supporters gave him a great send off from Anfield. He's worked well this week, concentrating for the game on Sunday."

Rodgers is asked about the squad's fitness, and he confirms that Balotelli is a doubt, but that there is no other significant team news.

And on that note, Rodgers heads back to training with the first team. As expected, the majority of this morning's questions were Sterling-based, but Rodgers seems focused on the match against Stoke. So, join us again on Sunday to see if Liverpool can finish the season with a win. Until then, thanks for joining me this morning. Goodbye.

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Jordan Ibe of Liverpool U21 looks on during the Barclays U21s Premier League match between Liverpool U21 and Sunderland U21 at Anfield on September 17, 2013
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3Arsenal1686229151430
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
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7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
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12Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton153661421-715
16Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1512121131-205


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