Roy Hodgson will be hoping for an elusive away win as Liverpool travel to St James’ Park to take on Newcastle tomorrow.
The Magpies had their feathers ruffled earlier this week when Chris Hughton was dismissed from his managerial position for no apparent reason. He has since been replaced by Alan Pardew who will take to the dugout for his first game in charge this weekend.
The last time this fixture took place Liverpool were gunning for the Premier League title and swept Newcastle aside by 5 goals to 1 in the process. Now, though, it’s a very different story for the Reds who have struggled to stay in the top half of the table this season.
Roy Hodgson will still be without the services of Steven Gerrard for this encounter but has no other major injury worries to contend with. The Anfield boss is likely to field a very similar team to the one that was victorious over Aston Villa earlier this week, with Fernando Torres expected to return in place of Ryan Babel or David Ngog.
Newcastle have been handed a welcome fitness boost with the news that Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan and Danny Guthrie could all be fit to start following injury scares. However, Steve Harper and Leon Best will remain absent as they continue their recoveries, while Fabricio Coloccini and Mike Williamson see out the final game of their three-match bans.
Liverpool have missed Newcastle in the time that they’ve been away; not only because the Reds have an excellent recent record against the Magpies, but also because this fixture always tends to contain a little extra spice.
There may not be titles riding on it this time around but with two managers desperate to impress for their own very different reasons, both teams should be pumped up and ready to give their all for the spoils that would mean so much more than just 3 points to either camp.
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