Having now arguably reached the status of Premier League champions-elect, Liverpool hope to beat Newcastle United at Anfield on Wednesday evening.
The Reds stretched their lead at the summit of the table by beating Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday—a day after title rivals Arsenal were beaten 1-0 at home by West Ham United. Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai scored in the first half to pile misery on Man City and capitalize on Arsenal’s dropped points.
However, Arne Slot’s men face a different challenge in midweek against Newcastle, who head to Merseyside on the back off a 4-3 success over Nottingham Forest.
Liverpool Team News
Cody Gakpo returned to the squad against Man City and played some few minutes after missing the last couple of games with a knock. Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley and Tyler Morton currently remain out for Liverpool.
Predicted Liverpool lineup vs Newcastle United (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Alisson Becker should be Liverpool’s custodian in goal again. He will be raring to close the shop as quickly as possible against the Magpies.
Defence
Virgil van Dijk should continue his formidable partnership with Ibrahima Konate at the heart of Liverpool’s defence. Having kept a clean sheet at the Etihad Stadium, the duo must be confident of stopping an in-form Alexander Isak from making inroads.
Trent Alexander-Arnold endured a tough evening against Man City’s Jeremy Doku on Sunday and he is expected to come up 1v1 with another tricky winger in Anthony Gordon. The England international has to toughen up defensively and produce a better display against Newcastle. He will keep his spot at right-back, with Andy Robertson again getting the nod over Kostas Tsimikas for the left-back position.
Midfield
There is no looking past Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister in the middle of the park. The duo have been outstanding this season and deserve to keep their spots in the XI. They will try to take control of the game and create openings in the final third with their passing ability.
Dominik Szoboszlai, who scored in the win over Man City, should start in the hole behind the main striker. Harvey Elliot should again have to be content with a role on the bench.
Attack
Curtis Jones was deployed as one of the No.10s at the Etihad Stadium but he is expected to make way for the fit-again Cody Gakpo, who will start on the left flank. This means Luis Diaz should position himself centrally as a No.9, with relentless and irrepressible Mohamed Salah a sure-fix starter on the right flank.
Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota will be strong options to bring off the bench against a tiring Newcastle defence.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
