After beating the European champions Real Madrid and then going on to cruise past English champions Manchester City at the weekend, Liverpool look to be early contenders to win every competition they find themselves in this season under new manager Arne Slot.
However, this relentless form could be cut short with a trip to St. James’ Park this week as Slot’s men face an Eddie Howe side that certainly knows how to resist against a top 6 side. Howe has faced Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea twice this season and only lost once in a 2-1 defeat to the Blues back in October.
The Magpies picked apart Spurs and collected 3 points thanks to an Alexander Isak strike then rescued a point against Pep Guardiola’s side with a well-placed Anthony Gordon penalty. A month later they knocked Chelsea out of the EFL Cup whilst keeping a clean sheet, then went onto beat title contenders Arsenal at home after an early Isak strike.
Every point earned against these sides has come under the lights of St. James’ Park in front of a home crowd who know how to bring an intense atmosphere to any top team even when their side is in a rut. This Wednesday is no exception, Liverpool will travel to Newcastle full of confidence due to their fine form but should quickly realise that 3 points won’t be an easy feat in a stadium that seems to put pressure on any side no matter their form.
Newcastle have not picked up a win against the Reds since December 2015 when Martin Skrtel scored an own goal and soon-to-be Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum struck to help them to a 2-0 victory. This result again came at St. James’ Park with the help of over 50,000 people in attendance who made the ground a miserable place to play for the away side.
Since stepping into Jurgen Klopp's shoes, Slot is yet to suffer an away defeat. This is whilst Newcastle have failed to score in two of their last three top-flight games at St James' Park, which only seems to come alive when the side are deemed underdogs against a bigger club. Howe’s side could also now lose back-to-back Premier League matches for just the third time post-takeover if Slot’s men continue to perform.
The 72-hour turnaround makes it difficult for Slot to not rotate his side which has been flooded with injuries this season whilst Howe has to deal with star striker Alexander Isak, who was taken off with an apparent hip injury in the draw with Crystal Palace at the weekend. Both sides have squad issues to deal with making Wednesday’s clash even more special as squad depth is pushed to the limit and younger players likely get their chance to shine.
Liverpool look to be untouchable at the moment but if there is anywhere that can crush a top team's confidence it is St. James’ Park which seems to be many managers' kryptonite this season. A loss for Slot would hand Arsenal or Chelsea a chance to narrow the gap to just 6 points, putting the pressure on the Dutchman who won’t take anything less than a win in what should be a thrilling midweek clash.
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