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Gerrard
Reuters

Liverpool travel to the Stadium of Light to take on Sunderland on Sunday as the Reds look to capitalise on the results this weekend and move back into the top four.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 4pm BST. Live coverage will be available on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1 HD.

Overview

Sunderland are without a manager after Paolo Di Canio was sacked following their 3-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League last weekend. Caretaker boss Kevin Ball presided over Tuesday's 2-0 Capital One Cup victory over Peterborough United and will be there on the sidelines against Liverpool as the owner Ellis Short continues his search for a new manager..

The Black Cats have gathered only one point from their last five games and are currently bottom of the league with a single point. Ball will be hoping that the absence of Di Canio will propel the players to put in a better performance. However, he needs to work on their defence which has failed to keep a clean sheet this season. A win here against one of the title contenders will go a long way in getting their belief back and thereby sort out their season.

Liverpool come into this game on the back of successive defeats against Southampton in the league and Manchester United in the Capital One Cup. The Reds started the season on a high but are on a poor run of form, having failed to win their last three games in all competitions. The return of Luis Suarez is likely to boost Brendan Rodgers who has missed the creativity up front with their star Brazilian, Philippe Coutinho out for the better part of two months with a shoulder injury. However, Rodgers will take heart from the fact that his side are unbeaten in their last six games away from home and will travel to the Stadium of Light, in confident mood.

What the Managers Say

Kevin Ball: "We've got lads up front who will work their socks off and try to do what they can to help us win the game. That's all I'd ask. If they do the best they can, then I can't argue with that. If they don't do that, then they've got cause for me to speak with them."

Brendan Rodgers: "You always find an upturn when a manager comes in. It's unfortunate that Paulo [Di Canio] lost his job. They had a victory during the week and obviously Kevin [Ball] will be looking for the players to put on a performance again."

Form Guide

Sunderland

Last Five(all competitions, most recent first): L L D W W

Last Result: Sunderland 2 - 0 Peterborough United

Liverpool

Last Five(all competitions, most recent first): L L D W W

Last Result: Manchester United 1 - 0 Liverpool

Team Guide

Sunderland

Injured: Phil Bardsley (foot),Phil Brown (calf), Andrea Dossena (thigh), Steven Fletcher (shoulder).

Doubtful: N/A

Suspended: Fabio Borini(ineligible)

Probable Line-Up: Westwood; Gardner, O'Shea, Roberge, Colback; Johnson, Cattermole, Vaughan, Larsson; Giaccerini, Altidore.

Liverpool

Injured: Glen Johnson(ankle), Aly Cissokho (ankle), Joe Allen (hamstring), Philippe Coutinho (shoulder).

Doubtful:N/A

Suspended:N/A

Probable Line-Up: Mignolet; Touré, Agger, Sakho; Henderson, Lucas, Gerrard, Enrique; Moses; Suárez, Sturridge