Preview: Newcastle vs Liverpool – Prediction, Team News, Line-ups

Yes, the focus will inevitably be on you-know-who; yes, the atmosphere inside St James’ Park will be fevered; and, yes, Newcastle will be desperate to get one over on Liverpool.

But let’s not overlook the fact that there is a football match to be played, one that will pit Liverpool’s abundance of attacking talent against a highly organised and robust Newcastle side with an unrivalled ability to scrap, harry and harass.

With that in mind, the expected return of Ryan Gravenberch alongside Alexis Mac Allister at the heart of Arne Slot’s midfield promises to be crucial for the visitors. 

For all the looming menace of a forward line bolstered by the addition of summer arrivals Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool looked horribly open at times in last weekend’s 4-2 win over Bournemouth – never more so than when Antoine Semenyo waltzed the length of the pitch unchallenged to fire home an equaliser with less than a quarter of an hour remaining.

The return of the irrepressible Gravenberch, missing through suspension against Bournemouth, should restore steel and zest to the Liverpool midfield, needfully so given the physicality and work rate Newcastle bring to the table. Slot, for one, is under no illusions about the magnitude of the challenge facing the champions.

“If you go to Newcastle, you know what to expect,” said the Dutchman. “We played them three times last season and twice their intensity levels were above ours. In the away game, especially in the first 60 minutes, they were so, so, so intense and fully deserved to have the lead.”

Liverpool twice came from behind In the corresponding fixture last season only to be held to a 3-3 draw following a late equaliser by Fabian Schar. That trademark resilience was once again evident in Newcastle’s draw at Villa Park on the opening weekend, where the only thing missing from an otherwise outstanding performance was a goal.

Which, inevitably, brings us to Alexander Isak. Eddie Howe has confirmed that the disaffected Sweden striker, the subject of a £110m bid from Liverpool earlier this month, will not feature on Monday night. Isak, who has made plain his desire to leave, has been a talismanic figure for Newcastle, scoring the winner against Slot’s side at Wembley last season to secure the club’s first domestic trophy in 70 years. 

Inevitably, for all the attacking threat posed by summer signing Anthony Elanga and Anthony Gordon at Villa, the absence of Isak, who scored 27 goals in 42 appearances last season, was keenly felt.

With that in mind, if Slot’s side can keep their composure amid the maelstrom and stay more compact than they were against Bournemouth, Newcastle may struggle to buck a trend that has seen them go 17 Premier League matches without a win against Liverpool. A tight 1-0 win for the visitors feels about right.

Newcastle vs Liverpool team news

Howe has confirmed that midfielder Jacob Ramsey will be available to make his debut following his £39m move from Aston Villa. Joe Willock is also expected to be back in the matchday squad after returning from injury. 

The chief area of concern for Liverpool is at right-back, where they have lost Jeremie Frimpong to a hamstring injury that is expected to rule him out until after the international break. With Conor Bradley having only just returned to training following injury, Joe Gomez could deputise if deemed fit enough. 

Wataru Endo, who briefly filled in at right-back against Bournemouth, is also an option, as is Dominik Szoboszlai. But with the latter likely to be needed in midfield – could he replace Wirtz in the No 10 role to counter Newcastle’s physicality? – Slot could call on Curtis Jones to do a job. 

Newcastle vs Liverpool predicted lineups

Newcastle: Nick Pope; Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, Valentino Livramento; Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Joelinton de Lira; Anthony Elanga, Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes. 

Liverpool: Alisson Becker; Curtis Jones, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez; Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister; Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo; Hugo Ekitike.