Newcastle v Liverpool – Match Preview
Liverpool travel to St. James’ Park to take on Newcastle United in a huge showdown in the Premier League on Saturday evening. Can the Reds build their momentum on the recent victory against bitter rivals Everton?
Overview
Jürgen Klopp’s men will hope to pick up where they left off. Liverpool have ultimately claimed their long-awaited first league victory of 2023 against their Merseyside neighbours.
It’s fair to say that not only the electric atmosphere at Anfield has been restored, but also smiles on the fans’ faces. However, the Reds are well-aware that they cannot get carried away by that result and will surely keep both feet on the ground.
The Reds still remain in mid-table gloom in ninth spot. However, they have two games in hand which could be pivotal in terms of their European charge. The European dreams are still very much alive as last weekend’s league games saw the likes of Arsenal, Brighton, Brentford, Tottenham or Chelsea losing points.
LAFC Co-Owner Will Ferrell is in attendance at Anfield ahead of Liverpool’s match against Everton 👀
(Via @NBCSportsSoccer) pic.twitter.com/t7eMQvD5gN
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) February 13, 2023
Eddie Howe’s outfit will resume their Premier League duty on the back of a frustrating away draw 1-1 at Bournemouth. Newcastle have taken their foot off the gas in the recent Premier League encounter after they got off to a flying start in the top-flight.
They were held to five draws in their last six games in this competition, winning just one. That being said, they missed the chance to move into third spot in the standings. It would be far-fetched to say that they are in crisis, but the dip in form is discernible.
Currently, the talking point on the the Tyne is the middle of the park. Klopp knows this pain and can sympathise with Howe. The Magpies are reported to have just two fully-fit midfielders – Joelinton and Sean Longstaff – for Saturday’s showdown.
In the face of a midfielder shortage, it’s still very unlikely to see the 45-year-old change the system to a two-man attack. The reason is straightforward, he revealed it while speaking to Chronicle Live: “We’re playing in a different way to that – not with two strikers. I’m not saying it would be impossible, but I think it would maybe be difficult for us to incorporate both into the same team, and still produce a team that is strong enough off the ball to withstand that”.
Head to Head
Liverpool have been unbeaten in the last five visits to St. James’ Park. Winning three and drawing two.
They came up short last time against the Magpies in December 2015. It was Martin Skrtel’s own goal that broke the deadlock and put the hosts in front before Georginio Wijnaldum extended the lead, making it 2-0.
Team News
Liverpool were handed an injury boost against Everton with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino being named on the bench. Klopp opted to give the attacking players in question 20 and 10 minutes respectively. The centre-half didn’t get any minutes under his belt but he’s likely to start the game from the very first minute.
Arthur could be the next to make a return to competitive football should the gaffer consider him fit enough. It’s fair to say that the Brazilian’s loan spell has been very disappointing so far and he’ll need to step up his game to impress Klopp.
Ibrahima Konate (hamstring), Luis Diaz (knee) and Thiago Alcantara (hip) continue their recovery from injury and will all miss the encounter.
Meanwhile, Eddie Howe will have a selection headache as Bruno Guimaraes will serve his third-game suspension following a straight red card against Southampton in the second leg of his side’s Carabao Cup semi-final. It’s a huge blow for Howe as Newcastle have been too much reliant on his presence in the midfield.
Newcastle have not won a game without Bruno Guimarães in the Premier League this season 🤯 pic.twitter.com/DsdddXVeRb
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 14, 2023
To make things worse, the hosts are reportedly going into the Liverpool game with just two-fit midfielders, therefore Anthony Gordon could start from the first whistle.
Javier Manquillo, Emil Krafth and Matt Targett will remain sidelined, while Miguel Almiron, Joe Willock and Allan Saint-Maximin could recover just in time for Liverpool clash.
Summary
Another tough test awaits Liverpool – this time it’s fourth-placed Newcastle. By the look of things, the middle of the park could be the key area of the pitch. It seems that the team which wins the battle there, could end on the winning side after come the final whistle.
Liverpool were much-improved in this zone in the recent game against Everton, but that was courtesy of the young Stefan Bajcetic. His usefulness to the team is undisputed. Aged 18, he was named Standard Chartered Men’s Player of the Month of January.
Liverpool remain the only team to have beaten Newcastle in this Premier League’s campaign but it wll be hard to repeat that result on Saturday. With all the problems in the midfield both sides are struggling with, I’m going for a split of the spoils in this one.
Follow Karolina on Instagram: @96karolinakurek