Dirk eyes Roger record
Dirk Kuyt needs one more goal to reach 50 in the league for Liverpool - and if he gets it against Sunderland, he'll become the first Reds player since Roger Hunt in August 1961 to score in three successive league games against the Wearsiders.
Here are all the rest of the key big-match stats...
Head to head (league only)
At Anfield: Liverpool 37 wins, Sunderland 18 wins, 19 Draws.
Overall: Liverpool 66 wins, Sunderland 50 wins, 32 Draws.
Last season the sides drew 2-2 at Anfield. Dirk Kuyt opened the scoring on five minutes, then Darren Bent scored either side of half-time (one a penalty) with Steven Gerrard equalising on 64 minutes.
The last meeting, at the Stadium of Light in March, saw the Reds win 2-0. Dirk Kuyt scored a first half penalty with Luis Suarez netting his first away goal for Liverpool. Sunderland finished the game with 10 men after John Mensah was red carded (later rescinded) late in the game.
Liverpool's biggest win at Anfield over Sunderland came in September 1922 when they won 5-1. Their heaviest loss on this ground by today's opponents was the 6-0 defeat inflicted in April 1930.
The win on Wearside last season saw Kenny Dalglish record his 250th league win as a manager in England (with Liverpool, Blackburn and Newcastle).
In the 20 Premiership games between the clubs, Liverpool have won 12, drawn six and lost two.
Liverpool's next goal will be their 250th in the league against Sunderland.
In the last 38 league meetings at Anfield stretching back to 1936 Liverpool have lost just twice - both by a 1-0 scoreline.
Four Liverpool players have scored hat-tricks on the opening day of a league season - Dick Johnson (1922), Dick Forshaw (1926), Tony Rowley (1954) and John Aldridge in 1988.
Liverpool have conceded only eight goals to Sunderland on this ground in the last 18 top-flight meetings.
The last Liverpool player to score a hat-trick against Sunderland was Roger Hunt at Anfield in February 1966. He is one of only four Liverpool players to achieve the feat.
Jay Spearing made his Liverpool debut against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in October 2009.
Jordan Henderson scored four league goals in 71 games for Sunderland and five in 79 in all competitions. He made more league appearances for the Black Cats than any other player last season, playing 37 of the 38 games.
Stewart Downing played seven games on loan at Sunderland in 2003-04 in the second tier - scoring three times.
Downing scored Aston Villa's first league goal of last season - in a win over West Ham United.
Charlie Adam scored a penalty against Sunderland last season in Blackpool's 2-1 home defeat.
The clubs have met three times previously on the opening day with Liverpool winning two and Sunderland once.
The last meeting in 2008 saw the Reds win 1-0 on Wearside thanks to a Fernando Torres goal, while the only first day clash at Anfield saw Liverpool win 4-2 in 1949.
This is only the fifth time in the last 16 seasons Liverpool have kicked off a league campaign at home and only the first occasion since 2001 they have had successive opening games in front of the Kop.
They have lost just four of the last 35 opening day fixtures with the last coming against Tottenham in 2009.
The Reds have suffered only two first day losses at home since returning to the top-flight in 1962 - against Chelsea in 2003 and Blackpool in 1962.
This will be the first time since 2001 that Liverpool have opened their league campaign with a 3 p.m. kick off on a Saturday.
Only once in the last four seasons have Sunderland lost their opening league fixture. That was their home defeat to Liverpool in 2008.
Last season they began the campaign with a 2-2 home draw with Birmingham despite seeing Lee Cattermole dismissed.
Wes Brown scored an own goal at Anfield playing for Manchester United in September 2008 - Liverpool won 2-1.
John O'Shea scored a last-minute winner for Manchester United at Anfield in March 2007.
David Vaughan played in Blackpool's 2-1 win at Anfield last season, in a game in which Charlie Adam scored a penalty for the visitors.
Stephane Sessegnon scored his three goals for Sunderland in the last five games of last season.
Steve Bruce has won four of his 20 games when he has faced Liverpool during his managerial career - three with Birmingham and the infamous 'beach ball game' with Sunderland.
Last season was the first time since 1966-67 that they scored more than once in a league game at Anfield, and on that occasion the scoreline was 2-2, as was last season.
Last season Sunderland finished 10th with 47 points. They recorded five away wins - at Chelsea, Aston Villa, Blackpool, Bolton and West Ham.
The victories at the Reebok and Upton Park came in Sunderland's final two away games last season.
They kept a clean sheet in only one of the last nine league games of last season.
They scored 45 goals home and away - only Wigan and the relegated Birmingham and West Ham scored less.
In the last 53 League meetings home and away Sunderland have managed four victories.
Sunderland's last win on this ground came in October 1983 when Gary Rowell scored the only goal. Since then they have drawn six and lost six.
In the last 10 Premier League visits to Anfield Sunderland have scored four times with Kevin Phillips and Darren Bent each scoring twice.
Bent is the only player Sunderland player to score at Anfield in the last 7 league visits.
Not since February 1936 have they scored more than once in a league game at Anfield and won. On that day they recorded a 3-0 victory.
The last Sunderland player to score a hat-trick against Liverpool was Bobby Gurney in 1936-37. With 19 goals he is the leading scorer in the league against Liverpool with one club.
Last season's final league positions:
Liverpool: Pld 38 Won 17 Drawn 7 Lost 14 Goals For 59 Against 44 Points 58 Position: 6th
Sunderland: Pld 38 Won 12 Drawn 11 Lost 15 Goals For 45 Against 56 Points 47 Position: 10th
Scorers last season (league in brackets):
Liverpool: Kuyt 15 (13), Maxi 10 (10), Torres 9 (9), Gerrard 8 (4), Ngog 8 (2), Meireles 5 (5), Suarez 4 (4), Cole 3 (2), Babel 2 (1), Carroll 2 (2), Johnson 2 (2), Jovanovic 2 (0), Kyrgiakos 2 (2), Skrtel 2 (2), Lucas 1 (0), own goals 2 (1).
Sunderland: Bent 11 (8), Gyan 11 (10), Welbeck 6 (6), Richardson 4 (4), Bardsley 3 (3), Henderson 3 (3), Sessegnon 3 (3), Zenden 2 (2), Muntari 1 (1), Onuoha 1 (1), Riveros 1 (1), own goals 3 (3).