Newcastle United will go head to head with Liverpool at St. James’ Park on Saturday night after only managing to claim a draw versus Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend. The Magpies could end the Reds’ title charge if they can earn an unlikely win in front of their home supporters. However, they would come up against a wounded Liverpool side that just suffered a 3-0 loss against Barcelona away at the Nou Camp, and so they would be desperate to get back to winning ways versus the Tyneside outfit.
Rafael Benitez is expected to opt for a 3-4-2-1 formation with Salomon Rondon set to spearhead the home side’s attack up top.
3-4-2-1 Newcastle United Predicted Lineup To Face Liverpool
Defence
Martin Dúbravka will begin the match in goal for the Magpies despite failing to keep a clean sheet in any of his previous two outings in the Premier League. Benitez might be inclined to go with a back three comprised of Paul Dummett, Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schär as they try to restrict the Reds attackers from scoring this weekend.
The Newcastle defenders will be up against the Liverpool front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino and so Benitez’s men would need to be at their best to have any chance of stopping the Reds attackers from wreaking havoc in the final third.
Midfield
Ki Sung-Yueng and Isacc Hayden could feature at the middle of the park as they try to dictate play and create a few decent opportunities for the Newcastle forwards in the opposition half. Matt Ritchie will look to provide some width down the left flank, but his defensive capabilities could be a cause for concern. Javier Manquillo might get another start at right-back as he looks to put in an impressive display against his former club.
Attack
The talented duo of Christian Atsu and Ayoze Perez could be asked to operate on the shoulders of Salomon Rondon who is expected to lead the charge for Benitez up front. Perez scored the opening goal of the game against Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend, so he would be expected to be a major goal-threat in the opposition half.
