Premier League preview: Sunderland v Liverpool

Saturday, kick-off 5.30pm

Celebrity predictions from The New Football Pools' pundits:
John Barnes: Away win. Tony Cascarino: Away win. Graham Poll: Away win

Team news:
El-Hadji Diouf, Steed Malbranque, Teemu Tainio and Pascal Chimbonda are set to make their Sunderland debuts. Chimbonda (dead leg), Kieran Richardson (calf), Phil Bardsley (hamstring) and Danny Higginbotham (back) have recovered from injuries and are in contention. Kenwyne Jones, Dwight Yorke and Paul McShane miss out. Captain Steven Gerrard will be fit to start, even though he was only used for the final 24 minutes of the disappointing draw against Standard Liege on Wednesday following a thigh injury. There are doubts over Xabi Alonso and Yossi Benayoun who have minor muscle injuries, but Fabio Aurelio and Martin Skrtel are back in contention.

Stats:
Last season: Liverpool 3 Sunderland 0, Sunderland 0 Liverpool 2
Last five league matches: Sunderland L L W L L; Liverpool W W D W W
Match odds: H 9-2 A 4-7 D 23-10
Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire)

Match facts from Opta :
The most scored by an away team on an opening day of a Premier League season is six, by Liverpool against Crystal Palace in 1994.
Liverpool have won only one of their last five opening day matches, away at Aston Villa last campaign.
Sunderland have scored only four goals in seven opening day fixtures, but have picked up 11 points from those four goals.
Sunderland have conceded exactly two goals in four of their last five Premier League games.
Liverpool have scored exactly two goals in their last three Premier League away games.
The Black Cats failed to score in their final two fixtures of the 2007-08 season.
Sunderland have not drawn a league game at home since December.
The Reds have only lost one of their last seven top-flight road trips, to Manchester United in March.
Only three of Fernando Torres' 24 goals (13%) came away from home in 2007-08.
Sunderland have lost their last four Premier League games against Liverpool, failing to score in each of them.
Sunderland's only Premier League home win against Liverpool came under Howard Wilkinson in December 2002.
Sunderland conceded more penalties than any other team in 2007-08, nine.

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