- Liverpool 4-2-2 in last with Newcastle
- Reds won 6-0 at NUFC in 2013
- Newcastle 2-1-1 in home fixture last 4 seasons
Suddenly-hot Newcastle United put their three-match win streak on the line when they host Liverpool on Saturday morning (Watch on NBCSN at 845am ET and online via Live Extra).
The Magpies beat Leicester City and Tottenham in Premier League play before knocking a strong Manchester City side out of the League Cup at midweek on goals from Rolando Aarons and Moussa Sissoko.
[ MORE: Alan Pardew - The Premier League’s antihero ]
Meanwhile, Liverpool aren’t quite struggling for points but haven’t found their form. Draws against Hull and Everton are sandwiched around slim wins against West Bromwich Albion and Queens Park Rangers.
All this with the knowledge that Steven Gerrard will play somewhere else next season if Liverpool doesn’t require his services adds a bit of juice to a game between two traditional names in the English game.
WATCH LIVE ON NBCSN AT 845AM ET AND ONLINE VIA LIVE EXTRA
What they’re saying
Newcastle defender Paul Dummett on his team’s form – “We got a good result against Tottenham and then a clean sheet against Man City, the champions of the Premier League. To keep a clean sheet against a team like Man City is hard to do but we worked really hard and deserved the win. We’ll go there with a lot of confidence to play against Liverpool.”
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers on NUFC not firing Alan Pardew – “It is great credit to the people at Newcastle. I know Alan is a top class manager. We know there are boards who change manager but Alan is very experienced, outstanding manager and he has got results. Where they are at now, on the back of three wins, they have a bit of momentum.”
Prediction
Both teams played at midweek with weakened sides, though Liverpool used fewer regulars than Newcastle. It sets up to be an entertaining game, with Gerrard in the fray for the Reds. Will he be at his best and make the difference, or taken advantage of by the Magpies speed? While it’s tempting to go against the Reds, we’ll say they get all three points in a 2-1 win.