Newcastle welcome middle of the table side Liverpool to St James’ Park this weekend as they seek to revenge their loss earlier on in the season.
The Magpies continued their unbeaten streak with a 1-1 draw against a gutsy Bournemouth side last Saturday whereas their opponents for this weekend did return some faith to their home supporters in their latest encounter as they easily defeated Everton 2-0 in the Merseyside derby.
Dreams of a Champions League finish are still a very strong possibility for Eddie Howe’s side who occupy fourth position and are not just two points ahead of fifth place Tottenham Hotspur, but they have a game in hand also. However, their inability to convert draws into victories have cost them massively though as they have lost track on the sides ahead of them and the sides below are closing in on them.
Their latest outing, a trip to Eddie Howe’s former side Bournemouth was another frustrating game to watch for the Geordie faithful and one where they could have walked away empty handed on a different day. Marco Senesi opened the scoring for the hosts on the half hour mark following some sloppy defensive play by the visitors before Miguel Almiron levelled things up just before half time. That equaliser was also the Paraguayans 10th goal of the season.
17 matches is the length of Newcastle’s current unbeaten run but their poor figure of just three goals in six premier league games is something that has got the fans talking about in the forums, in particular the draws against Leeds United, West Ham and Crystal Palace. It’s not all doom and gloom though as they have turned St James’ Park into a fortress this season. They are unbeaten on home soil in 12 Premier League games so Liverpool will have to be at their best to come away from Tyneside with the win.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side haven’t had a spectacular first half of the Premier League campaign. The Reds currently sit ninth in the table and are also nine points behind the Magpies but they do have a game in hand. They welcomed Everton and their new manager Sean Dyche to Anfield on Monday night who had easily beaten Arsenal a week before. It wasn’t to be for the Toffees as Klopp’s side reverted to type.
Mo Salah opened the scoring from close range in the 36th minute then after the start of the second half Cody Gakpo opened his account for his new side as they sealed a 2-0 victory over their closest rivals and a return for Jurgen Klopp’s iconic fist pumps. Their victory on Monday night ended a surprising run of four games without a win and it was also their first top flight victory of 2023!
Liverpool will still have their sights on European football for next season and rightly so given that we are only half way through this year’s campaign but they have already lost three times since the start of the calendar year to Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers, a run that saw them ship nine goals and score just one.
Liverpool have only won two in their last ten top flight fixtures on the road but they were the side that last side to inflicted defeats on Newcastle. They were back in August 2022 when Klopp’s side controversially won 2-1 Anfield and then in late April 2022 when they beaten the Magpies 1-0 at St James’ Park.
Newcastle United Team News: Joe Willock, Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron were all forced off during the draw at Bournemouth. Joe Willock is a doubt for Saturdays fixture as he picked up a hamstring injury but Eddie Howe is hopeful that ASM and Almiron will be passed fit for selection. Callum Wilson is expected to be fit after he missed the trip to Bournemouth with a hamstring complaint. Bruno Guimaraes is serving the last of his three match ban so he will miss out. Anthony Gordon could be in contention for his first start due to the lack of numbers in midfield.
Liverpool Team News: Diogo Jota, Virgil van Dijk and Roberto Firmino returned to the match day squad against Everton so they could feature from the start against the Magpies but Jurgen Klopp is excepted to name the same side that won against the Toffees. Arthur could be in contention to return to the match-day squad as he has recovered from thigh surgery. Ibrahima Konate, Luis Diaz and Thiago Alcantra remain on the injury table.
Sutty’s Match Prediction: Saturdays encounter will be the toughest challenge the Magpies have faced in recent weeks and once more they will have to do it without Bruno Guimaraes who has been a real driving force for them this season. In the previous two games that Bruno has been missing, there has been a real lack of quality in the midfield. Whether their visitors to SJP this weekend can kick on following their derby success remains to be seen but they will have to be at their best to break down the Newcastle back line who have been solid apart from that sloppy play last weekend. I can’t see the hosts scoring many goals unfortunately due to the lack of clinical prowess in front of goal and I’ve got a feeling it will fall to the midfielders/wider players to stick the ball away. My score prediction being Newcastle 1-0 Liverpool.
@jsuttonwrites
Commenti