Prediction: Newcastle United vs Liverpool

Nightmare start to the season is finally in the past for Newcastle United and the Magpies go into the Liverpool clash brimming with confidence on the back of three straight victories in all competitions. Meanwhile, the Reds produced a good comeback to see off Swansea in Capital One Cup, but they remain far from the desired form.

Alan Pardew has been forced tu put up with a lot of criticism at the start of the new season, but he is slowly starting to win over the fans. With most summer recruits needing some time to adapt to the new surroundings, Newcastle just could not hit the ground running, only showing occasional glimpses of quality, but they have since shown amazing improvement. Two solid performances proved enough for Premier League wins over Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur, but it is the 2-0 League Cup triumph over Manchester City at Etihad that has got to be considered the highlight of the campaign. The team that enjoyed a victory over the star-studded Citizens mostly consisted of fringe players, and also included Ryan Taylor, making his first appearance after more than two years. Newcastle’s last few performances clearly suggest the confidence is back at St James’ Park, and when that is the case, even England’s top sides are in for a difficult trip up north. Unlike his Liverpol counterpart, Alan Pardew will have almost all key players fresh after resting them in midweek and no doubt that will give his side an extra edge. While there are no fresh selection worries for the hosts, the likes of Cisse, Tiote, Gutierrez, Santon and de Jong remain sidelined.

Last season did suggest Liverpool were on the road to return to old glory days, but the Reds have utterly failed to live up to the billing this term. Brendan Rodgers was unlucky to have Daniel Sturridge miss quite a few games through injury, but he has nobody else to blame for the lack of impact summer signings Balotelli, Lambert, Lovren, Can and Markovic have had on team’s performances. While Adam Lallana proved he will be a brilliant signing for the club, remaining summer recruits have been pretty disappointing and obviously contributed to some under-par performances. And even if Mario Balotelli did break his scoring duck in the Capital One Cup clash against Swansea, he is clearly a far cry from the likes of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge who set the Premier League alight last season. With the back line looking extremely shaky at the moment and the players completely out of confidence, I have reason to believe the poor run will continue at St James’ Park. A number of first team regulars will be recalled after they were rested in midweek, but Daniel Sturridge, Mamadou Sakho, Suso and Jon Flanagan are out injured.

Conclusion

Newcastle United are playing with a lot of confidence at the moment and that should prove a major advantage when they host out-of-sorts Liverpool, who continue to struggle both up front at the back. It remains to be seen whether the Magpies can extend their winning run, but I cannot see them losing this match.

Verdict: Double chance on Newcastle

Best Odds: 17/20

Bookmaker: bet365