The English Premier League continues this weekend, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the final match of Round 7 between Newcastle United and Liverpool. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Newcastle United vs. Liverpool
Three-Way: 1: Newcastle United +430; X: +315 Draw; 2: Liverpool -125
Spread +0.5: Newcastle United +129; Liverpool -137
Total +2.5: Over -133; Under +131
NEWCASTLE UNITED
After a rather poor start of the new season, the Magpies responded with three consecutive victories in the Premier League, but the last weekend, they suffered a 1-0 loss at Brighton, so Rafa Benitez will be looking to bounce back against his former team at St. James’ Park. The Spanish tactician was under a lot of pressure following three defeats at the beginning of a campaign but managed to calm fans and critics with a sequence of positive results, as Newcastle beat West Ham, Swansea, and Stoke City. They were Dominant at Falmer Stadium as well but didn’t have enough luck to come away victorious, despite attempting 17 shots to Matt Ryan’s goal. Tomer Heed scored a goal early in the second half, and although Newcastle created plenty of chances to equalize, they failed to do so, so the three-game winning run came to an end.
Newcastle played seven matches so far in the 2017/18 campaign, recording three wins and four losses, with a goal difference of 8:8, which means a bit over 2.2 goals per contest on average. Two out of those three victories came at St. James’ Park as Newcastle scored five goals in the previous two games at home turf, but they did suffer a defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup a month ago. However, the Magpies are undefeated in the previous three encounters with Liverpool at home, winning two along with one draw. Despite the loss at Brighton, Newcastle apparently improved lately, and they will certainly have a couple of goal-scoring opportunities against the unconvincing Liverpool defense.
The captain Jamaal Lascelles and striker Aleksandar Mitrovic are currently Newcastle’s top scorers with two goals each, and Rafa Benitez will be happy to see Mitrovic back in action following his three-match suspension. The Serbian forward scored a goal in a 3-0 victory over West Ham United, and with the last year’s leading scorer Dwight Gayle out of form, the former Anderlecht player could start this clash. Still, it seems that Rafa prefers his compatriots Joselu and Ayoze Perez in the attack, but the pair combined for only one goal so far in the season, so it’s going to be a hard decision for Benitez when selecting starting eleven. Matt Ritchie will run the midfield, and he can be quite dangerous with the ball on his feet; after all, the Scotsman recorded four assists to his name already. The left-back Paul Dummett cannot help his teammates due to a hamstring injury, while fellow left-back Massadio Haidara is also sidelined with a knee injury. That is a problem for Benitez, who must deploy one of his center-backs to the LB position. At Brighton, Chancel Mbemba filled that role without real success, so it’s going to be interesting to see whether Rafa will use him again or will go with some other option. Ciaran Clark can play at left-back, and he could be Benitez’s answer for the role, but Mohamed Salah will probably create a disarray from the right-wing position.
LIVERPOOL
The Reds are far from the ideal form at the moment as they recorded only one victory in last six matches, and the latest 1-1 draw at Spartak Moscow in the Champions League additionally frustrated the fans and Jurgen Klopp. The Russians displayed a rather poor performance but converted their only half-chance into a goal, when Fernando scored from a direct free-kick. It appeared that Loris Karius, who is the No. 1 keeper in the UCL, could react much better as the kick wasn’t perfect, but the German conceded anyways. Prior to that moment, and for the remainder of the tilt, Liverpool has dominated and managed to equalize only eight minutes later thanks to excellent Philippe Coutinho, who played a neat one-two with Sadio Mane and convincingly scored. The Brazilian was close to a summer move to Barcelona, but Liverpool rejected their approach, which sparked a lot of rumors that Coutinho will not be willing to play for the Reds again.
However, that is clearly nonsense as the former Inter players recorded a pair of goals in the last two matches, and proved how much he’s valuable to this Liverpool team. He played a pivotal role in the last Premier League game, when Liverpool beat Leicester City at King Power Stadium, scoring a fantastic goal from free-kick after a great assist to Mohamed Salah. With a relatively good chance of getting to the knockout stage of the UCL, Klopp can turn to EPL and unleash Fabulous Four of Firmino, Mane, Salah, and Coutinho, but Bobby Firmino’s form of late is a bit concerning as he failed to score in the previous four games. Daniel Sturridge could replace him in the attack if Klopp decides to bench Firmino, but that remains to be seen.
Liverpool has played 11 games in the 2017/18 campaign so far, recording five wins, four draws, and two losses, with a goal difference of 21:19, which is a bit over 2.7 goals per contest on average. When it comes to matches away from Anfield, the Reds won two, drew two, and lost two, scoring nine and allowing 14 goals. That is almost four goals per contest, so I expect to see three or four at St. James’ Park on Sunday. While the attack is not a problem for Klopp, his defense continues to play disappointingly, and the German coach has to do a lot of thinking before picking the four at the back. Dejan Lovren is not convincing at all, and while Joel Matip is more reliable, the Cameroonian needs a partner who will not make mistakes often as Lovren does. Liverpool is without a win at Newcastle in the previous three duels, and their most recent meeting finished 2-2 at Anfield, even though the Reds had a 2-0 lead at halftime.
This summer’s arrival, Mohamed Salah, is already impressing as he is currently the team’s top scorer with six goals to his name, and will undoubtedly torture Newcastle defenders on this one. Roberto Firmino added four goals so far, along with three assists (the team’s top assist-maker), Sadio Mane scored three, while Emre Can and Philippe Coutinho have a couple of goals to their respective names. The Fab Four will likely be on the pitch for the second-straight match, and although they produced only one goal at Spartak Moscow, the Magpies can potentially be destroyed on Sunday. Salah, Firmino, Mane, and Coutinho already have 15 goals between them, and they only played once together so far, so Rafa Benitez should be worried. Klopp’s only doubt is whether to hand a start to Firmino or Sturridge, but knowing the German’s stubbornness when selecting his starting XI, Firmino has better chances to begin the clash from the referee’s first whistle. Nathaniel Clyne and Adam Lallana are still sidelined with back and hamstring injuries, respectively, so Klopp must decide between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez at the right-back position.
Newcastle United vs. Liverpool – Match Prediction
Liverpool can potentially score three or four goals here, but will most probably concede at least one, so I would go with the Reds’ win with both teams to score.
MY PICK: Liverpool to win (-137)
