Reds out to reach half century

Two strikes for the Reds will see them reach the half-century landmark in terms of goals scored this season, while a win will ensure Brendan Rodgers reaches the 100 Barclays Premier League points mark in his tenure.

The sides are meeting exactly a month after Hull won 3-1 at the KC Stadium. Jake Livermore (with his first strike for Hull), David Meyler and a Martin Skrtel own goal registered for the Tigers after Steven Gerrard had equalised for the Reds.

It was Hull's first ever victory over Liverpool and it came in the 17th meeting in all competitions. The Reds have won 12 of the previous clashes.

The last Anfield encounter saw Liverpool win 6-1 in September 2009, with Fernando Torres scoring a hat-trick. Gerrard also found the net while Ryan Babel came off the bench to score twice.

There have been five meetings in total in the Premier League era, with Liverpool winning two, drawing two and losing one.

At Anfield, Liverpool have won four of the five league matches, with Hull's only draw coming in 2008-09 when they led 2-0 only to concede two Gerrard goals.

In those five clashes in front of the Kop, Liverpool have scored 18 times and conceded seven.

Only one Liverpool player has scored a league hat-trick against City - Torres in 2009.

Ian Callaghan also scored a hat-trick against the Tigers at Anfield. It came in a 3-1 League Cup replay in December 1973, with the game being played on a weekday afternoon to conserve power. That was the only time 'Cally' scored three times in any of his 857 games for the Reds.

Liverpool have failed to score in only one of the previous 11 league meetings.

The Reds have scored eight times in their two home games against Hull in the Premier League.

Liverpool played 18 times at Anfield in the league in 2013, winning 13, drawing three and losing two. They scored 44 times and conceded 12.

Jon Flanagan celebrates his 21st birthday today.

Liverpool last played on New Year's Day in 2011, when they came from behind to beat Bolton 2-1 at Anfield. Only four of the starting 11 could be involved this year - Glen Johnson, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger and Lucas.

Luis Suarez has scored 13 goals in his last five games at Anfield and scored 19 league goals before Christmas home and away, more than any other Liverpool player in the Premier League era. 

He scored 20 league goals in 13 Anfield games in 2013.

Suarez netted 29 league goals in the calendar year 2013 and only three men have scored more for the club in a single year - Sam Raybould 32 in 1902, Gordon Hodgson 33 in 1934 and Roger Hunt 33 in 1962.

In league and cup, Suarez scored 33 goals in 33 appearances in 2013.

He now holds the club record of scoring two or more goals in five successive home league games. Only two men had achieved the feat of four in a row - Jimmy Ross in 1895-96 and Robbie Fowler 100 years later.

In their opening nine home games of 2012-13, the Reds scored 10 league goals. This season at the same stage they have hit the net 25 times.

They have scored 23 goals in their last six home games.

In all competitions, Liverpool have kept two clean sheets in the last 17 games.

In 2013, the Reds earned 69 points from 37 games in comparison to the year before, when they picked up 46 from 39.

Hull are back in the top flight after a three-year absence. Their last spell in the Premier League lasted two seasons.

They finished their 2012-13 Championship season in second place with 79 points to secure automatic promotion, eight points behind champions Cardiff City.

They had a goal difference of +9 and scored 61 goals - the lowest tally of the top 12 teams in the division.

Manager Steve Bruce has recorded five wins as a boss during his career in 22 meetings with the Reds in all competitions - three with Birmingham City and one each with Sunderland and Hull.

In league games, he has lost only five of 18 meetings while in charge of his clubs.

Hull are the fifth different team he has taken charge of against Liverpool, having previously managed Sunderland, Wigan Athletic, Birmingham and Huddersfield Town, for whom he was manager while current Reds' managing director Ian Ayre was chairman of the Yorkshire club.

Away from home this season in the league, City have lost at Chelsea (0-2), Manchester City (0-2), Everton (1-2), Tottenham (0-1), Southampton (1-4) and Arsenal (0-2).

Their solitary victory on the road has come with a 3-2 win at Newcastle United, with Robbie Brady, Ahmed Elmohamady and Sone Aluko scoring, while they drew 1-1 at Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion.

They have not won in their last six league games on the road, taking two points out of 18.

Since beating Liverpool exactly a month ago, Hull have picked up six points out of a possible 18 with three draws and two defeats prior to the emphatic 6-0 win over Fulham last Saturday.

City have kept two clean sheets in the last nine league games.

Since hitting the net twice after the break against Liverpool, Hull had not scored a second-half goal going into last weekend's game. Then all six in the win over Fulham came from the 49th minute onwards.

City have scored seven away goals this season, with Yannick Sagbo finding the net twice - the most on the road of any Tigers player.

Two players have appeared in all of Hull's league games this season - Elmohamady and Tom Huddlestone.

Steve Harper played five times against Liverpool for his previous club Newcastle. His last two appearances saw the Magpies lose 3-0 at Anfield.

Hull last won on New Year's Day in 2007, when they beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 at Hillsborough thanks to two Nick Barmby goals.

Hull beat Fulham 6-0 last Saturday. It was the first time they had ever scored more than three in a Premier League game and the last time they scored six in the league was against Tranmere Rovers in December 2004.

Four Hull players scored their first goals of the season in their last game - Robert Koren (scored twice), George Boyd, Huddlestone and Matt Fryatt.

Overall league record:

At Anfield: Liverpool 4 wins, 1 draw, Hull 0 wins.
Overall: Liverpool 7 wins, 3 draws, Hull 1 win.

Scorers this season (league in brackets):

Liverpool: Suarez 19 (19), Sturridge 11 (9), Sterling 4 (3), Gerrard 3 (3), Coutinho 2 (2), Henderson 2 (1), Skrtel 2 (2), Flanagan 1 (1), Moses 1 (1), Sakho 1 (1), own goals 2 (2).

Hull: Brady 4 (3), Elmohamady 2 (2), Koren 2 (2), Livermore 2 (2), Meyler 2 (2), Sagbo 2 (2), Aluko 1 (1), Boyd 1 (1), Chester 1 (1), Davies 1 (1), Fryatt 1 (1), Graham 1 (1), Huddlestone 1 (1), McShane 1 (0), Proschwitz 1 (0), own goals 3 (2).