Another difficult week for Liverpool off the pitch and it might not get much better on it this Saturday night.
The latest Luis Suarez controversy has been debated endlessly elsewhere this week, there’s no need for that here too, but one thing for sure is that he’ll be absent at St James’s Park and Newcastle look to have been underestimated by the bookmakers.
Suarez’s ban will run considerably into next season and in the Uruguayan’s absence it is always difficult to see the Merseyside club creating chances.
Three draws in a row have halted Liverpool’s decent run of results, the latest of which required Suarez’s ninety-seventh minute equaliser versus Chelsea on Sunday, and their away form has been poor for some time now.
Victories at the relegation threatened pair of Wigan and Aston Villa are the Reds’ only triumphs away from Anfield since beating Mansfield in the FA Cup in early January and the 2.50 about them returning to winning ways in the north-east makes no appeal.
Any team can be forgive one bad result and while Newcastle were very poor in losing 3-0 to Sunderland in front of their own fans that was a first defeat in eight matches on home soil.
Alan Pardew’s men are not quite safe just yet but he is sure to have his team revved up for the visit of Brendan Rodger’s side and they showed tremendous character to bounce back from that derby demolition by grabbing a point at in-form West Brom.
There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that Newcastle will survive with something to spare and a win against Liverpool would certainly see them avoid the drop.
Rodgers’ has seen his men win just five of 17 matches on their travels in the English top flight this season and that is a poor strike rate for a team with top-four aspirations.
2pts Back Newcastle (Draw No Bet, vs. Liverpool) @ 2.20 (Stan James)