12 Jun 2019
The pendulum has swung again. Liverpool are now a point behind champions and Premier League leaders Manchester City with two games remaining.
While City host in-form Leicester on Monday, Liverpool travel to St James’ Park knowing that anything short of victory will virtually hand the title to Pep Guardiola’s side.
The Reds have been in tremendous form, winning their last seven Premier League games and scoring 20 goals in that span. They have lost one game all season – to Manchester City – and Jurgen Klopp’s side, who face Wolves at home on the final day of the season, are 7/2 to win their first title in 29 years.
Newcastle are safe in mid table. Rafa Benitez’s side sit in 13th spot on 42 points, a whopping 49 points behind second-placed Liverpool, having secured their Premier League status for another season with seven points from their last three games.
Liverpool won the last two meetings to nil and both were at Anfield. Goals from Dejan Lovren, Moamed Salah, Xherdan Shaqiri and Fabinho handed Klopp’s side a 4-0 Boxing Day victory in their last clash.
The Reds are 4/11 to win at Newcastle and defeat the Magpies for the third successive time, something they have not done since winning four on the trot between November 2007 and May 2009.
The last time they met on May 4 was 45 years ago in 1974, when Liverpool beat Newcastle 3-0 in the FA Cup final, thanks to two goals from Kevin Keegan and another from Steve Heighway. The odds for another 3-0 Liverpool win are 13/2.
Newcastle have won 16 of the 69 subsequent clashes, the last coming in December 2015 with a 2-0 win at St James’ Park.
The Magpies have won five of the last 10 meetings at home, with Liverpool winning three and two games were drawn, including the last meeting there, in October 2011.
Newcastle are 9/1 to win but they can also be backed at 2/1 to win or draw the game on the Double Chance market.
There have been four draws in the last 25 meetings and the Genting Casino Premier League football odds put the draw at 15/4.
TEAM NEWS
Manchester City understand only too well what an intimidating place St James’ Park can be. The Magpies say they will aim to replicate the sort of intense performance that saw them beat City 2-1 in January. It will also be their last home game of the season and a great atmosphere is guaranteed as they attempt to surpass the 44 points they tallied last season.
Newcastle will hope that Ayoze Perez is fit to start against Liverpool. He had to be taken off in last weekend’s 11 draw at Brighton following a hip injury.
Perez is also pretty durable – since arriving in the summer of 2014, he has been started 132 times and been on the bench on 61 occasions. He has missed just three match-day squads.
The Spaniard has hit seven goals in his last seven home games and five in the last three games home and away. The 25-year-old looks a striker full of confidence, but is a generous 9/2 to score at any time and 12/1 to score the last goal.
The loss of Sean Longstaff and Miguel Almiron has meant a recall for Jonjo Shelvey. The 27-year-old was given the captain’s armband against Brighton and was impressive. The former England international’s creativity will be vital if Newcastle are to pull off a shock win and he is 10/1 to score at any time.
Liverpool’s rotation policy could continue, with a Champions League semi-final second-leg against Barcelona at Anfield on Tuesday, so Roberto Firmino may be rested.
Adam Lallana, left out of the squad that travelled to the Camp Nou on Wednesday, is set to return to the squad. Rhian Brewster, Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could also feature.
Klopp also has a big decision to make in the midfield, with Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Naby Keita and Georginio Wijnaldum all in contention.
Of course, there is also the race for the Premier League Golden Boot, with Sadio Mane and Salah vying for the honour of the season’s leading striker. Both struck twice in the 5-0 defeat of Huddersfield last Friday.
Salah, who has scored in his last two games against Newcastle, is 7/4 to win the Golden Boot, despite being one goal ahead of City’s Sergio Aguero, who is also priced at 7/4. Mane is also just a goal behind Salah on 20 for the season and is a 6/1 chance to win the Golden Boot.
Both Salah and Mane are expected to play against Newcastle, with Salah at 10/11 to score at any time and Mane at 19/20 to net at any stage.
REDS ROLL ON?
The title race is going down to the wire, it seems. Liverpool have been somewhat boom or bust at St James’ Park in recent seasons. They have recorded 6-0, 5-1 and 3-0 wins in the last decade but have also lost on five occasions.
Such is their ripe scoring form that it is hard to underestimate what they are capable of and layers certainly don’t, as the Reds are 4/9 to score two or more (over 1.5 goals) and 13/10 to score three or more (over 2.5 goals).
Five of the last seven meetings have been won to nil and going into Wednesday’s clash with Barcelona, the Reds had held four of their last five opponents scoreless. It is 19/20 that Liverpool extend their streak of wins to nil against Newcastle to three.
Newcastle have conceded at least once in seven of their last eight Premier League games and they are 5/1 to keep a clean sheet against Liverpool.
Goals are usually on the cards when these two meet and 13 of the last 15 clashes yielded three goals or more. It is 7/10 that there will be over 2.5 goals scored on Saturday night.
To see all the odds on this clash, click here.
