Newcastle United vs. Liverpool Preview

Newcastle United still harbour aspirations of qualifying for the Champions League and the Magpies will look to claim the notable scalp of Liverpool at St James’ Park on Sunday April 1 in order to close the gap on fourth placed Spurs.

The Geordies have a fairly telling five point deficit to overcome if they are to achieve that goal but anything is surely possible for Alan Pardew’s men who continue to surprise having begun the season as potential relegation candidates.

Liverpool have fallen behind their opponents in the league table and are currently experiencing a tough ride domestically despite having recently lifted the Carling Cup at Wembley.

Victory in the Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park signalled a return to Premier

League form for the Reds however subsequent defeats to lowly QPR and Wigan have left the club detached in seventh and the Kop faithful extremely frustrated.

Manager Kenny Dalglish will be desperate to see a response from his team on Tyneside however the momentum appears to be fully with the hosts – especially as a place in the Champions League is still attainable.

With a five point deficit to overcome, Newcastle will have to win this match and hope that both Tottenham and Chelsea slip up against Swansea and Aston Villa respectively.

Although the Toon Army’s overall chances will rely heavily on the results of other clubs, they should at least be certain to commit 100% to their end of the bargain and it would be no surprise to see their work rate and determination help inflict a third consecutive league defeat upon Liverpool.

The Reds were shell-shocked after surrendering a 0-2 lead away to QPR and their following performance against the Latics at Anfield was nothing short of abysmal.

With Dalglish’s side unable to provide a response against the league’s bottom club, it is hard to see how they can summon enough improvement to snatch a result at Newcastle and a home success looks by far the most likely outcome.

Liverpool’s travelling record also does little to instil confidence; the Reds have lost eight times already on the road and will be bidding to become only the third team to have triumphed at St James’ this season.

Amazingly, despite Liverpool’s dire form and Newcastle’s solid profile at home, it is the visitors who are favourites for the match at 6/4 with United an 11/5 shot and the draw at 12/5.

This fixture looks set up for Newcastle to deliver a real cavalry charge and although there is a lot at stake the Magpies will feel they have little to lose after already performing with so much credit this campaign.

Sitting in sixth, things are only likely to get better for Pardew’s relentless stars and another victory is a tasty proposition at fantastic odds.

Things really wouldn’t look out of place had the book been the other way around and Liverpool will have to demonstrate an enormous improvement defensively before they can be backed again in the league.

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28/03/2012     © Frixo 2024