The fixture could not have been perfectly set for Liverpool, with the Reds travelling to Britannia Stadium to play Stoke City on Sunday for their EPL opener. It was at the same venue that Liverpool suffered a humiliating 1-6 loss against Stoke in their last game of last season.
Liverpool players will be eying revenge on Sunday as the Reds have signed some new players to bolster their line up. With signings such as Roberto Firmino, Christian Benteke and James Milner, they have definitely strengthened their team, but Stoke are going to be a strong test for Brendan Ridgers' men.
In fact, there are no weak teams in the EPL as big teams have been beaten by lower rung teams.
Talking about the embarrassing loss last season, Rodgers felt their performance during the game was unacceptable.
"It was a unique game. We all knew it was unacceptable and whatever stick we got for it was deserved," said Rodgers.
But Rodgers is more than happy that they will be playing Stoke in the first game. "For me it was the perfect fixture for us first up. I was happy that came out,"
"We will certainly be better than we were last season. We lacked in everything that day."
The team needs to start off well as they have some tough fixtures in the coming weeks, with Manchester United and Arsenal coming up shortly in the English Premier League.
The team has huge expectations from their new striker, Benteke, who was signed from Aston Villa. The Belgian striker is expected to solve Rodgers' goal scoring woes of last season, which was one of the major reasons for their finishing sixth in the competition.
With players such as Coutinho and Firmino providing the balls for Benteke, the Liverpool forward could be a major force in the league. It would be interesting to note as to what formation Brendan Rodgers will adopt in the new season as the manager might be spoilt for choices when it comes to chosing players upfront.
However, another dilemma Brendan Rodgers faces is in the central defenders position, as Martin Skrtel is expected to start, but his partner could be either Sakho or Lovren. The manager has a tough choice to make.
These crop of Liverpool players look strong, but they need to be wary of Mark Hughes' improving side on Sunday.
Stoke City have been improving every season and are eager to improve this time around as well. They have high ambitions and want to qualify for European football. Stoke City finished an impressive ninth last season.
"We've managed to improve in each of the past two years and would love to do that again this time," said Stoke City manager, Mark Hughes.
"The aim is to try to get into Europe. I like to set the bar high."
Stoke City have managed to sign some decent players such as Ibrahim Afellay, apart from other players such as Glen Johnson, Marco van Ginkel and Philipp Wollscheid. Hence, there are plenty of reasons for Stoke City to welcome Liverpool at Britannia stadium with a positive mood.
Where to Watch Liverpool vs Stoke City Live
Get the Stoke vs Liverpool Highlights HERE
Liverpool are eager to start the campaign on a positive note as they travel to Britannia Stadium on Sunday.Liverpool vs Stoke City match is schedule for 4pm local time (8:30pm IST, 3:30 pm ET) with live Tv coverage in India on Star Sports4/HD with live streaming on starsports.com and Hostar.
Viewers in the UK can enjoy Liverpool vs Stoke City live on Sky Sports1/HD with an option of going online on Sky GO.
US viewers can get all the live coverage of the Liverpool vs Stoke City match on NBC Sports with live streaming on NBC Sports Live Extra.
