Liverpool suffered a crushing disappointment in midweek when they lost the first leg of their Champions League semi-final 3-0 in Barcelona, but they have no time to dwell on that defeat as they face a trip to Newcastle that could ultimately define their season.
The clash with the Magpies has been moved to a Saturday evening kick-off which will give Jurgen Klopp’s team a little longer to prepare, but at this stage of the season, performances are as much about determination as physical fitness, and this game is a crucial one for the Reds. One point behind Manchester City in the league table, they have the chance to go two points clear at the top and put pressure on Pep Guardiola’s side, who must wait two days before taking on Leicester.
Liverpool’s form this season has been amazingly consistent, with the addition of PFA Player of the Year, Virgil van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson shoring up a defence that had been shaky last season. In addition, talented young full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson, and reliable midfielders Jordan Henderson and James Milner have provided solid support for the devastating attacking trio of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
In fact, in most Premier League seasons, Liverpool would already be the champions, having lost just once in the league so far. It’s certainly no surprise to see them quoted at odds as low as -277 by Betcris for this game against bottom-half opponents with nothing to play for.
The fact that Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez will be taking on his old club has led some to speculate that he might be tempted to go easy on the visitors or field a weakened side. But given his competitive nature and the demands of the St James’ Park faithful, that seems a far-fetched idea. Instead, we can expect a typically well-organised Benitez side set up to make things difficult for the visitors and spring a surprise at odds of +773 with Betcris.
There is also the possibility that, given the upheaval behind the scenes at Newcastle, this could Benitez’s final home game in charge of the Magpies, in which case he is sure to want to go out on a high with a reminder of what he is capable of achieving.
The home side aren’t to be underestimated, particularly at this venue. In fact, based on home form alone in 2019, Newcastle should be competing for a top six spot. They’ve won six out of seven Premier League games in front of their own fans in 2019 and remain the only team in the division to have recorded a victory over Manchester City, winning 2-1 at home on January 29.
Ayoze Perez is expected to be fit for this game, so Newcastle will at least have some presence up front to give the Liverpool defenders something to think about, though the absence of Miguel Almiron will leave them short of pace and penetration. Nevertheless, Benitez is the master of pragmatic football and is sure to set Liverpool a tough examination, which they will have to pass if they want to end the season as Premier League champions.
