Newcastle United vs Liverpool
Newcastle United vs Liverpool:Newcastle United host Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday night, with nothing but pride at stake for the Magpies.After a nervy first half of the season, Rafael Benitez's side kicked on to secure their safety for another year with a few games remaining, but they could still have a big impact on the destiny of the title this weekend.
Jamaal Lascelles should return to the starting lineup after missing last weekend's draw with Brighton, while Ayoze Perez looks to recover from a knock picked up at the Amex Stadium.
Here's how the Magpies could line up for Saturday's clash at St James' Park.
Newcastle United
Florian Lejeune and Sean Longstaff had already been ruled out for the season and have been joined by record-signing Miguel Almiron who has torn his hamstring. Captain Jamaal Lascelles (virus) and Ayoze Perez (hip) are less significant doubts and should be available.
Liverpool
In any other season the temptation for Jurgen Klopp to rest some players 72 hours after their defeat at Camp Nou might have been overwhelming but with the title race still in the balance, he will again pick his strongest side.
Naby Keita left the field on Wednesday night with a groin injury but the results of the scan have not yet been made public though it seems safe to predict that he will not be risked. Adam Lallana was suffering from a 'minor muscle injury' last week and is highly unlikely to be selected.
Prediction: Newcastle 1-2 Liverpool
In six years at Anfield, Rafa Benitez couldn’t lead Liverpool to the Premier League title; on Saturday, he could put the final nail in the coffin as the Reds look to go top of the league once again.
With just two games left, the title is slowly slipping away from Liverpool as Man City continue to win. This weekend, City play Leicester – managed by another former Liverpool manager in Brendan Rodgers – on Monday, giving Jurgen Klopp’s team another opportunity to go top by two points, at least temporarily.
But Newcastle will present a difficult challenge. Everyone knows how Benitez likes to set up his side against the top six; they’ll be well organised, compact and tough to break down. It will be interesting to see if there’s any hangover for a Liverpool side deflated following a bruising 3-0 defeat against Barcelona.
Overall, though, Liverpool should have enough to claim three points, and will be boosted if Roberto Firmino is back to full fitness. They have been getting the job done, one way or another, in recent weeks, and it’d be nothing short of catastrophic if they were to slip up here. 2-1 Liverpool – back to the top of the league.
