Jürgen Klopp’s side to take on Newcastle United this evening has been confirmed. Liverpool will be looking to increase its advantage at the top of the Premier League as it takes on Eddie Howe’s side at Anfield.
Bar a disastrous defeat, Liverpool knows it will be ending the night at the top of the table, thanks to Arsenal’s defeat to Fulham yesterday. The question is, how big will its advantage be?
A win will take the Reds three points clear of Aston Villa, and with Manchester City still holding a game in hand, Klopp will be eager to take this chance. With that in mind, he has of course named a strong side to take on Newcastle.
READ MORE: Liverpool will soon get ‘immediate’ upgrade as as Jürgen Klopp can right four-year wrong in 2024
READ MORE: ‘On a different level’ – Jürgen Klopp hails Liverpool solution to Mohamed Salah AFCON absence
Four changes are made in total from the Boxing Day win over Burnley. Ibrahima Konaté returns at the heart of the defense, replacing Jarell Quansah, while Dominik Szoboszlai is back in midfield in place of Harvey Elliott.
The Hungarian is joined in the engine room by Curtis Jones, who replaces Ryan Gravenberch. Meanwhile, Luis Díaz is back in the front three as he comes in for Cody Gakpo. Alexis Mac Allister makes his return to the squad as he’s named on the bench.
My starting XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Gomez; Endō, Szoboszlai, Jones; Salah, Núñez, Díaz.
Liverpool is starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel in terms of its injury situation. With a Premier League ‘winter break’ of sorts coming after the Newcastle game, those who are still out will be able to edge closer to returns without missing more matches, while those who have stayed fit will get a much-needed chance to recover.
And Liverpool has come through these setbacks with its place at the right end of the Premier League standings firmly intact. After today, Jürgen Klopp can start to look ahead to returns for some of the more long-term absentees, like Thiago and Andy Robertson.
Ahead of tonight’s game, two of our Liverpool.com writers had their say on who they would select against Newcastle. Take a look at their teams below, and see how they stack up against Klopp’s.
Matt Addison – Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones come back in
This is a reasonably easy selection for me to make. Alisson Becker will be in goal and Ibrahima Konaté should come back in at the back in place of Jarell Quansah. Joe Gomez will continue at left-back in the absence of Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas.
In midfield, Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai can come back in. Wataru Endō can play at the base of the midfield, though I’d very much like to see Alexis Mac Allister come off the bench. Harvey Elliott and Ryan Gravenberch both drop out.
In the attack, Mohamed Salah will obviously be there. Darwin Núñez should play and Diogo Jota must start. Luis Díaz can come off the bench, as can Cody Gakpo. Suddenly, Liverpool has options in its forward line again.
My starting XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Gomez; Szoboszlai, Endō, Jones; Salah, Núñez, Jota
Predicted scoreline: 3-1 to Liverpool.
One thing to watch: Mohamed Salah to score on his final appearance before jetting off to AFCON.
James Martin – Alexis Mac Allister back to start
Likewise, I’d agree there are precious few difficult calls for Klopp here. The defense more or less picks itself — Quansah has been very impressive, but Konaté is clearly still higher up the pecking order.
In midfield, the big question is whether Mac Allister is thrown back in from the start. Given Endō’s recent workload, I’d be inclined to do so if at all possible, with the Argentine having had a couple of days to train.
In front of him, Szoboszlai hasn’t been in the best form recently, but he still offers a big threat not matched by others. Jones has been providing some much-needed balance and calmness when he has played, so he gets the nod.
Up top, Jota had been absent for a reasonable stretch before returning off the bench to great effect against Burnley. A start might be asking a bit much of a player who has been prone to injuries in the past. I’d use him off the bench, and give the rotating duo of Gakpo and Núñez another go with Salah on the right.
My starting XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Gomez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Jones; Salah, Núñez, Gakpo
Predicted scoreline: 3-0 to Liverpool.
One thing to watch: Darwin Núñez to keep up his fledgling form in front of goal against a favorite opponent.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
