Newcastle have nothing to lose against Liverpool tomorrow

Newcastle United will travel to Anfield tomorrow for what will be one of their most difficult games of the season.

Playing against Liverpool at Anfield is perceived as an insurmountable challenge for Newcastle United by most fans and pundits. Liverpool aim to maintain their two point advantage over Manchester City with a victory against Newcastle United, and Steve Bruce simply hopes his side can show a competitive spirit and keep this game close.

The Magpies are major underdogs in this clash against the defending European champions, and they honestly have nothing to lose. Newcastle United are fortunate to get this daunting road game out of the way so early in the season. A win or a draw would be a massive result, but losing to Liverpool early on would have no impact on the team’s survival odds for the rest of the season. Except for the obvious three points that are up for grabs, Newcastle United have nothing to lose against Liverpool tomorrow.

What to Expect

In terms of who will play, the injury list for Newcastle United remains unchanged. Steve Bruce is expected to deploy his 3-5-2 formation, which will most likely turn into a defensive 5-4-1 shortly after the opening whistle. We can expect to see a similar lineup to the one selected against Watford two weeks ago. However, if Bruce decides to move Miguel Almiron back into midfield and give Yoshinori Muto a chance up top, he will need to choose between Christian Atsu and Jetro Willems on the wing opposite of Almiron.

Jurgen Klopp is expected to stick with his attacking style of play via the 4-3-3 formation, but his player selection is not that obvious. With an important Champions League game against Napoli in four days, Klopp must decide whether he will sit some of his key players out against an inferior Newcastle United side or risk playing them ahead of Tuesday’s game.

Regardless of who starts for Liverpool, their attacking philosophy will be implemented from the opening whistle. The Reds will enjoy the majority of the possession and will force the Magpies to defend in large numbers in their own half. Bruce’s men are surely aware that their scoring chances will be limited tomorrow, but that was the case against Tottenham, too, yet Joelinton managed to score.

Liverpool will create plenty of chances, especially if Newcastle United sit back and invite the attack for 90 minutes, but they need to get shots on target. In their last two games, Liverpool have taken 40 shots, but 28 of them missed the frame of the goal. Too many wasted chances could doom the Reds against a patient and disciplined team like Newcastle United.

Predictions

So far this season, the Magpies have maintained close margins against elite clubs. They only lost to Arsenal 1-0 on opening day and shocked Tottenham 1-0 in London. A similar scoreline tomorrow would be encouraging before hosting Brighton next weekend, but it’s hard to imagine Liverpool not scoring multiple goals.

Durim Halimi: Liverpool 3-1 Newcastle United

Carson A. Merk: Liverpool 3-1 Newcastle United

Trent Redman: Liverpool 3-0 Newcastle United