Game Week 14 Predictions: Liverpool to beat Newcastle

Newcastle host Liverpool at St. James’s Park in a thrilling clash. Can the Magpies halt the league leaders, or will Liverpool continue their dominance

Newcastle will hope to be the one to stop the operations of the Slot machine, will they be successful? (Photo credit: Opta)

 Newcastle vs. Liverpool.
St. James’s Park
8:30 pm

Right about the time Manchester City is busy with Nottingham Forest and Chelsea doing their thing away at Southampton, the runaway leaders will be at Newcastle looking for their latest win.

Arne Slot couldn’t have asked for a better start to his Liverpool career. The Dutchman is flying, and no one seems to be able to stop him. A win over Eddie Howe and Newcastle pushes the Kops further forward, and they just might be winning their second title in five years.

Last time out, Newcastle settled for a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace, with a late equalizer from the hosts stealing two crucial points from them. The visit of Liverpool to St. James’s Park is a different ball game; the Magpies must be ready.

There’s an ongoing drama on the fitness front for Newcastle. Alexander Isak limped off in the game against Crystal Palace, but, despite his manager saying at this press conference on Monday that Isak hasn’t trained, the striker has declared himself fit for the game.

Liverpool is pleased with fitness. Only Diogo Jota is recovering, and he is expected to be back soon with Alison set to return between the sticks before the end of December. One intriguing question is what the manager should anticipate given Coahmin Kelleher's remarkable performance.

Newcastle must defend deep; they must be compact, and their poor passes against Palace must not happen against the runaway league leaders. They must pay attention to long balls and line-splitting passes; they can’t afford to lose concentration.

Liverpool players demonstrated their ability to increase their intensity when faced with adversity, exemplified by their performance against Manchester City. They maintained their composure until they secured three points, a strategy Newcastle should not allow.

Liverpool’s Mohammed Salah is in legendary mode. He has scored and assisted in five games this season, and he’s hoping to keep it coming. The Egyptian has scored in six straight games; he would be happy to do it again at Newcastle.

It will be a tactical battle. Newcastle has injury problems but should be able to welcome enough players to compete. Callum Wilson isn’t fit to start, but that might change if Isak’s hip problems don’t allow the Swede to start. It’s Liverpool’s game to lose on current form, but the hosts will have a huge say.

Verdict: A straight win for Liverpool.