Liverpool have a great opportunity to get back to winning ways on Monday night when they host Newcastle at Anfield.
The Reds have lost back-to-back league games against top four sides but now face an out-of-form Newcastle side drifting towards the relegation zone.
This fixture has produced a number of memorable games and a number of goals over the years and with how both teams’ defences have been playing of late we can expect a few in this one too.
Team News
Liverpool
Martin Škrtel and Steven Gerrard both sit out of their final match of a three-game suspension. Emre Can returns from his after missing the FA Cup replay victory at Blackburn Rovers midweek.
A hamstring injury has ruled Mamadou Sakho out of this weekend’s fixture and potentially a few more games to disrupt the defence.
Adam Lallana is currently out with a groin injury.
Newcastle United
John Carver’s side are on a four-game losing streak and with just one win in their last eight Premier League games.
The Magpies have a whole host of problems in defence – Fabricio Coloccini is suspended, whilst Steven Taylor, Paul Dummett and Massadio Haïdara are all confirmed out with injury. Right-back Daryl Janmaat is also a doubt with a calf injury.
Cheick Tioté is out and Simon de Jong has been out for the long-term.
Papiss Cissé continues his suspension.
Predicted Lineups
Kolo Touré and Dejan Lovren will be in defence due to absentees. Something that has made Liverpool fans nervous this season but should be encouraged by Newcastle’s lack of potency of late with just one goal in their last four. With two first choice defenders missing we expect Lucas to keep his place in the team to protect them from midfield. This should see Jordan Henderson play out on the right once again. He’s not been as effective out there as he had been in the middle. Liverpool’s pace and goalscoring potential in attack should cause this Newcastle defence problems.
Daryl Janmaat has been moved into the middle of late due to absentees at the back. Moussa Sissoko adds some energy to the midfield. There’s not been a great deal of creativity of late – a lot of chances have been created by the full-backs. Rémy Cabella has the ability to be a playmaker but has been inconsistent in his first season in England. Ayoze Pérez is 12 games without a goal up front.
Key Matchups
Philippe Coutinho vs Ryan Taylor
Ryan Taylor has had a nice little run out now after almost two years on the sidelines. However we’re not so sure about his defensive abilities and see Philippe Coutinho being a match winner from the left in this one. The Brazilian has had a lot of success cutting inside his full-backs this season and causing opponents problems. Look for him to do just that on Monday.
Daniel Sturridge vs Newcastle defence
Daniel Sturridge has not returned to goalscoring for since his long layoff and did look tired in the second half versus Blackburn. This is as good an opportunity for the England international to get on the scoresheet with Newcastle playing a right-bak in the middle and missing a number of their first choice players.
Jordan Henderson vs Vurnon Anita
Expecting Liverpool to see a lot of the ball we can see Jordan Henderson being instrumental if he comes into the middle. Newcastle’s defensive midfielders could be in for a long game as a result.
Key Stats
5 – Newcastle have had five red cards in their last five Premier League games against Liverpool.
130 – Liverpool-Newcastle games have seen a total of 130 goals, the joint-third highest scoring fixture in Premier League history.
318 – Newcastle have gone more than five hours without a goal on the road since their 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace back in February.
Follow this weekend’s football with Soccerlens & INPLAY
Whether you’re following this weekend’s match live in the stadium, watching it in the pub or following it on your phone, INPLAY makes your football experience better.
INPLAY is a fantastic new social messaging app with a unique football twist – think WhatsApp for football – that allows you to interact with friends and like-minded supporters (with private chats and open groups) and the option to share images and videos via your phone.
You also get access to the latest football stories, filtered and personalised based on your preferences (favourite team, location, interests) right at your fingertips.
There’s a lot more to the app that’s best experienced rather than explained, so go ahead and click here to download the app for FREE on iPhone or Android.
Join Soccerlens @ INPLAY
Soccerlens will be covering football live through INPLAY this weekend. Make sure to download and sign up to the INPLAY app and the use this code 2JMJ2 to join the Soccerlens chatroom. We will have all the stats, news updates and much more for you through INPLAY and here on Soccerlens.
Click here to download the app for FREE on iPhone or Android.
Get started now and don’t forget to launch the app for in-match discussion during this weekend’s games!
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
