THE match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James’ Park on Monday is expected to be an extra fiery affair.
With the ongoing saga involving Newcastle’s star striker Alexander Isak, who is desperate to leave and reportedly wants to join the Reds, things could get feisty on the pitch as well as around the stadium.
The Sweden international in midweek released a statement on his Instagram account about his “broken relationship with the club’s hierarchy”, believed to be over issues related to his contract and “unfulfilled promises”.
Isak is currently on exile from the first team and will again not be involved until his future is resolved.
Many Magpies supporters are understandably incensed by his stand as Isak still has three years left on his contract.
An irate home crowd may egg the players on, which could see them be more motivated to pull off a result in possibly a bruising encounter.
With no senior players in the striker department available, Eddie Howe is also not expected to make any changes to his side that faced Aston Villa, including lining up Anthony Gordon as the main forward again.
Gordon is expected to lead Newcastle’s attack again. — Reuters
Liverpool, on the other hand, do not seem to have problems with their attack options, following their 4-2 win over Bournemouth in their season opener.
Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa all found the back of the net, while Reds’ new signing Hugo Ekitike, who was a transfer target of Newcastle, struck the goal to score on his league debut.
There were, however, some nervy moments, with defensive lapses resulting in the two goals conceded.
Arne Slot will be hopeful that the return of Ryan Gravenberch, who was suspended for a match, brings back some stability in front of the defenders.
Gravenberch proved himself a crucial cog in Slot’s system last season, so he would likely be lined up instead of Alexis Mac Allister in midfield alongside Dominik Szoboszlai and club record transfer signing Florian Wirtz.
But Liverpool may still need more time to bed in their new players and this could be an opportunity for Newcastle to take advantage of, pressuring and giving the Reds no quarter.
The last time both sides met, it was the Carabao League Cup Final, when Newcastle convincingly won 2-1.
Liverpool will certainly hope that they will not be outplayed again and will come out on top this time. — By Ivan Loh
