Liverpool-Newcastle is a match of the 20th day of the Premier League and is played on Monday at 9 pm: TV, probable formations, predictions.
There has been intense traffic at the top levels of the Premier League. The final “word” on this 20th day falls to Liverpool, who will take the field at Anfield Road in their first match of 2024. The Reds will face the Magpies knowing the results of their direct competitors, and in case of victory they would take back the lone top spot.
Jurgen Klopp’s team meanwhile was joined by Aston Villa, which got the better of Burnley, but Manchester City, which is -2 but still has to make up for the match postponed due to commitments in the Club World Cup, has also made up ground. Meanwhile, Salah and his teammates could be bypassed by Arsenal: at the time of writing, the Gunners still have to face Fulham and in case of a win they would momentarily go +1 on the Liverpool-Aston Villa pair. The German coach in a press conference said he was satisfied with the first part of the season, with the Reds in the midst of the race for the most important goals. Liverpool has not lost in the league since the famous London showdown with Tottenham – the one with the glaring refereeing oversight – and since then the only (painless) defeats have come in the Europa League.
Newcastle crisis
Particularly bad moment, on the other hand, for Newcastle, which has racked up six defeats in its last seven games between cups and the league.
The situation is not the best for Eddie Howe’s HCLers, slipping to ninth place in the standings, -11 from fourth place. To repeat last year’s excellent result to date seems virtually impossible for a team that has had to deal with a barrage of injuries since the start of the season. Always numerous are the absences in Newcastle’s house, also in view of the Anfield match: the only one who could recover is Joelinton, who was on the bench during the challenge with Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day, lost 3-1 by the Magpies. In fact, Liverpool’s infirmary is also crowded: Klopp has to give up Tsimikas, Matip, Bajcetic, Thiago Alcantara and Robertson. In doubt instead is the presence of Mac Allister. For Salah, finally, this is the last game with the Reds before the African Cup of Nations.
The prediction
Liverpool should be able to take advantage of Newcastle’s particularly bad moment, which moreover is the second-last team in the Premier League in terms of external performance. If we add that the Magpies’ last victory at Anfield dates back to the last century – it was 1994 – then it is easy to imagine a wide success for the Reds in a match of at least three goals total.
The likely Liverpool-Newcastle lineups
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, van Dijk, Gomez; Szoboszlai, Endo, Gravenberch; Salah, Gakpo, Darwin Nunez.
NEWCASTLE (4-3-3): Dubravka; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes, Miley; Almiron, Isak, Gordon.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 3-1
