Both sides are set to give debuts to their transfer deadline-day signings, as ex-Red Peter Crouch lines up against his former club, while Liverpool fans will be reacquainted with Craig Bellamy after a four-year hiatus, with the Welsh forward likely to feature from the bench.
Another new signing, ex-Tottenham tough-tackler Wilson Palacios, will (fitness-depending) slot into the Stoke midfield alongside Dean Whitehead or (more likely) Glenn Whelan. Tony Pulis will surely leave his defence unchanged, especially as the Potters have conceded just one league goal in their three games this season. Meanwhile, Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant (another ex-Liverpool player) should line-up on the wings for the home-side, and Kenwyne Jones - who has been very useful target-man for Stoke this season - will likely partner Crouch up-front, with Jonathan Walters dropping to the bench.
Liverpool's side is perhaps harder to predict; partly because a number of players (Glen Johnson, Martin Kelly, Charlie Adam and Steven Gerrard) have varyingly serious question-marks over their fitness, but primarily because Dalglish has shown a willingness to chop and change his side, week-in week-out, according to the threat of the opposition.
Still, assuming Adam recovers from the knock he picked up while on international duty with Scotland, and also that Glen Johnson has spent enough time on full-training to reclaim his starting place at right-back, there should be no need for a major reshuffle of the team. Because the direct, physical threat that Stoke offer is not too dissimilar from the one that Liverpool faced (and comfortably defeated) against Bolton two-weeks ago, expect the line-up to be somewhat similar, with Suarez the most advanced of a fluid frontline and Andy Carroll back on the bench:
Stoke use traditional touchline-hugging wingers to stretch the play when in possession - much of their attacking joy comes from their use of width, so the wing battles will be key. We can all remember that when, back in January 2010, Benitez used full-backs Fabio Aurelio and Philipp Degen on the wings to counter Stoke's threat from crosses, it successfully neutered both sides' attacking play. Dalglish will be much less cautious than that, but expect either Henderson or Kuyt to track Etherington's runs, while Stewart Downing should look to help Jose Enrique deal with Jermaine Pennant.
Also, with their signing of 6ft7 Peter Crouch, Stoke make no secret of their use of big target-men, and they will generally look to hit long balls rather than pass through the middle. The same was true of Bolton, and Liverpool dealt successfully with Kevin Davies' aerial threat by dropping Lucas deeper to challenge for headers. Even though Lucas is not the tallest and didn't always win the first ball, he freed the two centre-backs to sweep up any knock-downs. Daniel Agger is also formidable in the air, with an 82% aerial duel success-rate this season, so he should be well equipped to deal with high balls. Perhaps Kenwyne Jones, with his greater physicality, is well-placed to cause Jamie Carragher some problems though.
In terms of the away side's attacking strategy, Liverpool will look to play fluid, fast-paced, passing football, with an emphasis on getting the ball to the feet of creative danger-men such as Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing and, most importantly, Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan has been in great form this season, and his intelligent movement can test Stoke's entire back-line. Marc Wilson has looked very assured for Stoke at left-back this season, whereas Robert Huth is not really a natural right-back, so it's possible that Liverpool's play will be focused down their left-hand side where Enrique and Downing's new wing-partnership continues to look impressive. Lucas' deep holding role should free up not only Jordan Henderson but also Charlie Adam to make runs into the final third.
So, although Stoke will probably use a similar shape and attacking style to Owen Coyle's Bolton at Anfield, you can be sure that their gameplan will be carried out far more effectively. The Britannia Stadium is always a difficult place to go, and Chelsea could only manage a 0-0 draw there on the opening day of the season. Liverpool's pace and movement will surely bear fruit though, and impact-players Craig Bellamy and Andy Carroll each have a point to prove, so away-goals are on the cards. In terms of the overall flow of the match, much will depend on how quickly Stoke's new signings can settle effectively into Pulis' game-plan.
Follow Phil on Twitter @CrowdGoBananes