There is never a dull moment when Liverpool and Newcastle United lock horns.
The history books are littered with astonishing contests between these two giants and excitement is inevitable. The last three meetings between the teams have produced 15 goals, with St James’ Park staging a high-octane 3-3 draw back in early December.
Wednesday’s meeting between the sides at Anfield has masses riding on it. Liverpool are hunting their second Premier League title, while Newcastle are scrapping for Champions League qualification. An opportunity to land a psychological blow before next month’s Carabao Cup final will motivate both sides, too.
Newcastle have not won at Anfield since 1995 but they increase their chances every season as they go from strength to strength under Eddie Howe. Their squad boasts some electrifying stars more than capable of trading punches with Liverpool’s array of world-beaters.
Wednesday’s war will be decided by fine margins, so here are four key battles that could influence the outcome.
Alexander Isak’s numbers are becoming more frightening with every passing year. The lanky Swede has been in astounding goalscoring form throughout the campaign for Newcastle and has proven essential to their rise up the rankings after a slow start to the campaign.
Liverpool know that better than anybody. Isak conjured up an outstanding long-range effort during the thriller between the teams before Christmas and has scored on his only two previous visits to Anfield. The 25-year-old’s electric speed and eye-catching athleticism have allowed him to benefit from the space afforded by the Reds’ generally high line.
Virgil van Dijk has not particularly enjoyed battles with the former Real Sociedad star, but Newcastle’s centre-forward will undoubtedly be aiming to isolate Ibrahima Konate on Wednesday evening. The lesser of two behemoths, the French defender has been known to throw the odd questionable performance into the mix despite often operating at an extremely high level.
If Isak can draw Konate high up the pitch by dropping deep to collect possession before spinning in behind, he can take advantage of the Liverpool defender’s occasional rashness. With Newcastle likely to have plenty of counter-attacking space to exploit, this could prove a fruitful avenue for Howe’s men.
Despite Liverpool celebrating an emphatic 2-0 win over Manchester City last Sunday – one that moved them 11 points clear of title rivals Arsenal – Trent Alexander-Arnold still left the field with his tail between his legs.
Liverpool’s No.66 was skinned repeatedly by City’s dynamic but unpolished Jeremy Doku, whose speed and agility proved too much for Alexander-Arnold to manage. The right-back lost 12 duels at the Etihad Stadium as his impressive distribution was overshadowed by some glaring defensive deficiencies.
Fellow Liverpudlian Anthony Gordon, who was a serious transfer target for the Reds over the summer, will be aiming to offer his England teammate a similarly chastening experience on Wednesday evening. The ex-Everton winger has been known to make full-backs look foolish with his direct approach and has often taken the chance to punish the club that released him from their academy at a young age.
He has managed two goals and an assist in his last three meetings with Liverpool, finishing expertly in the draw at St James’ Park earlier this term. He will need no invitations to silence the Anfield crowd on Wednesday evening and humble Alexander-Arnold in the process.
Arne Slot has confirmed that Alexis Mac Allister is fit and raring to go despite ending the Man City clash with a black eye. The Argentine’s presence will be a huge boost as Liverpool prepare to do battle with one of the Premier League’s finest midfield units.
Sandro Tonali, Joelinton and the supremely talented Bruno Guimaraes have pulled midfields across the country to pieces this season. They utterly humiliated Manchester United not that long ago, and while Liverpool have been operating at a far higher standard than the Red Devils this season, they will know this is a battle they cannot afford to underestimate.
Mac Allister and Guimaraes both take up mobile, ball-playing roles in the centre of the pitch, tasked with getting things going at one end while also halting any attacks from their opponents, and Wednesday’s victor could easily be decided by who comes out on top.
Ryan Gravenberch will be there alongside Mac Allister to help out, but the pair may need support from whoever plays in the attacking midfield role just to ensure they are not overwhelmed by the sheer numbers.
If you can stop the best player in the world this season, you’ve got a good chance of getting a positive result.
Many have tried and failed to put the breaks on Mohamed Salah, but one look at his record-breaking return this season – 25 goals and 16 assists in just 27 games – shows just how tough of a task that is.
The onus here will fall on Lewis Hall. The 20-year-old has been electric in recent weeks but it is worth remembering that his footballing education came in central midfield, not at left-back. Any defensive uncertainties could easily be exploited by a player in Salah’s form.
That being said, this battle is not exclusively one-sided. Hall has four assists in his last 11 Premier League outings and will gleefully fly down Liverpool’s right side to try and add to that tally, knowing Salah does not always the best defensive cover for Alexander-Arnold.
