Stoke vs Liverpool: Brendan Rodgers claims return to place of 6-1 defeat is 'perfect fixture' to start the season for Liverpool
The Reds lost 6-1 at the Britannia Stadium on the final day of last season
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Your support makes all the difference.Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers believes his side have been handed the "perfect fixture" with which to kick off their new season in a trip to Stoke.
A disappointing 2014-15 for the Reds ended in humiliating fashion in May with them suffering a 6-1 Barclays Premier League thumping against the Potters at the Britannia Stadium - a game in which they found themselves 5-0 down at half-time.
They are back at the ground taking on Mark Hughes' men again on Sunday to open their 2015-16 campaign.
And Rodgers said at his pre-match press conference on Friday: "When the fixture came out, I felt we couldn't have had a better one to be honest.
"I think lots of people have looked at it wondering whether we would have been better going back later, but for me it was the perfect fixture and I was happy when it came out.
"The reaction (to the 6-1 loss) over the course of the summer has been terrific and it gives us real motivation now to start the season well."
Rodgers - whose side finished outside the Champions League berths in sixth place last season, a year after coming second - has labelled the last meeting with Stoke as "unacceptable" and vowed things will be different this time around.
"You always aim to go out as you mean to start the next season, and we certainly do not mean to start the way we played there," he said.
"It was a unique game. But it should never be the case, whatever the excuse, because you are fighting for people who live their lives for the football club.
"We all knew it was unacceptable, and whatever stick we got for it, we thoroughly deserved that.
"We'll certainly be better than we were last year, that's for sure.
"It was a one-off game in terms of the whole experience - it was incredible. In every aspect of high-class football we were lacking. It was very surprising and very disappointing.
"But we will look to return to the levels we have had over the last couple of seasons here. That will give us a chance to win. We know it will be a tough game, but it will certainly be tougher for them than it was last season."
Rodgers agreed with the suggestion he and his players "owe the fans a result" after the last match in the Potteries and also admits, after a disappointing 2014/15 overall, they are under pressure to deliver, although he stressed that has always been the case since his appointment as manager in 2012.
And when asked about the objective for the season, he said: "The goal is, firstly, to arrive in the top four and then see where we go from there."
Liverpool have lost the services of the likes of Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling since the end of last term, but seven new signings have been brought in over the summer and among them there is certainly a weight of expectation on the shoulders of striker Christian Benteke, brought in from Aston Villa for £32.5million.
Benteke has rejected suggestions - including from his boss at Villa, Tim Sherwood - that he is not suited to his new club's style because he is primarily a header of the ball.
And Rodgers has backed the player up, saying: "I think he is the type of player who fits perfectly for us.
"I have seen him close hand and, for me, he can play in any type of game.
"He can play the power game, the strength game, but what I think will surprise a lot of people is the quality of his football - his clever movement, his link-up play and the different types of goals he scores with his feet. He is going to be a huge player for us."
Along with Benteke, other summer recruits set to make their Liverpool debuts on Sunday are Nathaniel Clyne, James Milner, Roberto Firmino and Danny Ings.
Striker Daniel Sturridge (hip) and defender Jon Flanagan (knee) are the absentees from the squad, as well as midfielder Joe Allen, who has been ruled out for three to four weeks with a hamstring injury.
Rodgers also revealed on Friday that Milner has been appointed as vice-captain to new skipper Jordan Henderson, his fellow England midfielder.
And the manager refused to be drawn on whether forwards Fabio Borini and Mario Balotelli were any closer to leaving Liverpool, saying when asked specifically about the future of the latter: "Every player knows exactly where they stand in relation to the squad."
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