LIVE streaming: Watch Stoke vs Liverpool on January 12, 2014

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Liverpool will be looking to maintain their top four position when they face Stoke at the Britannia Stadium in a Premier League encounter.

Preview: Liverpool looking for first league win at Britannia Stadium

Even though the Reds have fared well at the venue in the league cup matches against Stoke which includes the famous 8-0 victory in 2000, the Merseyside outfit have never scored a league victory at the Britannia Stadium.

Since Stoke were promoted to England’s top-tier league in 2008, the two teams have met five times at the Britannia Stadium and not once have Liverpool recorded all three points. This time around Liverpool will be looking to end the voodoo by putting a strong performance against the hosts.

Liverpool are definite favourites for the tie having started the 2013/2014 so strongly. But successive defeats at the hands of Manchester City and Chelsea resulted in the Reds falling down to the fourth position and Brendan Rodger’s men will need to notch maximum points from the Stoke match if they are to avoid any further slip-ups.

However having the hottest striker in the country leading the line, Liverpool will definitely be in a buoyant mood. Uruguayan international Luis Suarez is in a rich vein of form having scored 20 goals in 15 starts.

Whereas the former Ajax man has always been praised for his immense talent he has often been criticised for his temperament and a penchant to make rash decisions which has often resulted in him being banned for lengthy periods. However the 26 year old has claimed that he has been working on his behaviour which bodes well for his team and the player himself.

"My temperament, my attitude, my desire and hunger when I’m on the pitch has always been like this and will continue to be this way. I know now that I have to control it a bit more," he explained to ESPN.

"An example came about two weeks ago I had an open shot at goal that hit the post. It rebounded close to my hand, and I was about to go for it but then stopped. If the same thing happened two months ago I would have gone for it.”

"These things stay with me but I’m changing, I’m improving my attitude on the pitch because I know I was wrong in the past. I was creating an image of myself that I know wasn’t me."

Luis Suarez could also welcome his striker partner Daniel Sturridge back in the squad. The England international returned to training after a two month layoff and might be in contention for a starting berth.

Stoke on the other hand are currently 12th in the league table having lost twice in the last five matches and their fans will definitely be pessimistic of their chances against a side which has done very well this season.

However Ireland international Jonathan Walters has claimed that the Potters can make a repeat of last season’s fixture when the Reds took the lead through a Steven Gerrard penalty, but a valiant performance from Stoke saw them winning the match 3-1. Walters himself scored a brace that night and has reiterated that only a very strong performance will ensure all three points for his team on Sunday.

"In terms of what we have produced in the Premier League, that was arguably as good a team performance as we have put in, and we will need something similar on Sunday if we are to get the result that we all want,” said Walters.

"We have beaten them before, though, and this season we have been very strong at home, especially against the big sides, so we can take a lot of confidence from that into this particular game and hopefully come away from it with the points."

However last time the two sides met on the first day of the current season, things did not go well for Stoke and Walters. Liverpool took the lead through Sturridge in the first half and Walters had a chance to level the scores, but his penalty was saved by Simon Mignolet.

Liverpool seem to be having defensive problems at the moment with all of Daniel Agger (calf), Jose Enrique (knee) and Jon Flanagan on the sidelines. However summer signing Mamadou Sakho might recover in time from his hamstring injury.

Stoke on the other hand will be without goal-keeper Asmir Begovic and defenders Robert Huth and Andy Wilkinson.