Newcastle are next in Liverpool’s line of fire, after their Anfield destruction of Scott Parker’s Bournemouth. Fingers crossed Eddie Howe still has his job after this one.
This stats pack provides all the numbers behind the two teams’ season so far, and is a great tool for building a bet for the game. If you’re betting on outcomes, goals, shots, corners or cards you’ll want to give this a read first.
Predicted Lineups
Klopp should keep faith in the lineup that battered Bournemouth at Anfield on the weekend.
Firmino keeps his spot after 5 goal contributions, with Salah and Diaz either side.
A familiar back line of Robertson, Van Dijk, Gomez and Alexander-Arnold, despite some questionable performances from Van Dijk this season.
Newcastle are without Callum Wilson, who’s picked up a hamstring injury. Chris Wood is likely to start up top, with the game coming too soon for new signing Alexander Isak.
Joe Willock is likely to come in for the injured Bruno Guimaraes.
Just 4 goals conceded in 4 games for the Magpies back line, who’ll all keep their spots.
Team Stats
Liverpool’s goals and xG stats have been heavily affected by their 9-0 win at Bournemouth.
They had 19 shots, 12 on target and of course 9 goals.
Defensively, they haven’t been strong conceding 5 in their first 3 games.
Newcastle come into this game still unbeaten this season, with a win and three draws.
They’ve played well, getting a win in their opener, before salvaging draws at Brighton and Wolves, and getting a memorable 3-3 draw against Man City.
They’ve been an attacking force, averaging more shots and corners than Liverpool, whilst maintaining a strong defensive record with two clean sheets so far.
Player Shots and Shots on Target
Firmino has been gifted his starting place thanks to Jota’s injury and Nunez’s suspension. That being said, 5 goal contributions last weekend and a shot accuracy of 86.4% will give Klopp a selection dilemma once they return.
Four Liverpool players starting tomorrow average over 2 shots per 90. Firmino, Diaz, Salah and Elliott are all good calls for shots.
For Newcastle, three players average over 2 shots per 90, with Saint-Maximin averaging over 3.
If Saint-Maximin is fit, I’d fancy the silky Frenchman to get a lot of attacking space given the defensive frailty of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Player Goals and Assists
The front three of Liverpool are the big threats on the Newcastle goal tonight. Diaz leads the way with 3 goals, with Salah and Firmino on 2 each.
Surprisingly, Salah managed no goal contributions out of the 9 scored last weekend – a shocker for those who captained him in FPL.
Allan Saint-Maximin tops the goal contribution list for Newcastle – he got his first goal with a last minute equaliser against Wolves last time out.
Almiron is a threat on the other wing, whilst either Chris Wood or Alexander Isak will hope to get their season off the ground tonight.
Trippier and Schar have also grabbed their first goals of the season, and will be a threat from set pieces.
Liverpool Cards
Despite the referee tonight averaging 4 cards a game, Liverpool don’t make many fouls, with the exception of the high-pressing Diaz.
The hosts have received just 4 cards this season, including Nunez’s red card for his headbutt on Palace’s Andersen.
That being said, my shout for a card is Alexander-Arnold, who had tons of trouble against Marcus Rashford and comes up against Saint-Maximin tonight.
And here we see why I fancy that – Saint-Maximin averages a foul drawn every 38 minutes, and a dribble every 21 minutes. Good luck Trent.
On the other wing, Almiron draws 1.62 fouls per 90 and attempts over 3 dribbles a game. Robertson and Van Dijk’s haven’t looked too stable this season, so the Paraguayan will look to exploit that.
Match-Ups to Watch
Alexander-Arnold vs Saint-Maximin
Van-Dijk vs Almiron
Newcastle Cards
Of Newcastle’s 8 bookings this season, Fabian Schar takes the credit for 3 of them, so he’s a good shout for a card.
Another to look out for is Joelinton. He is going to find himself with a real battle on his hands against Liverpool’s midfield, and averages over 2 fouls a game alongside his 2 cards.
Also on the Magpies’ card list is Kieran Trippier, who’ll be up against Luis Diaz tonight. The Colombian averages over 3 dribbles a game, and draws over 3 fouls a game.
Match-Ups to Watch
Trippier vs Diaz
Schar vs Firmino
Joelinton vs Fabinho
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I hope this proves useful for your bet builders tonight, it’s time to put your thinking caps on. If you don’t feel like a bet tonight based on that, then don’t feel like you have to – save it for another day.
Now, let’s see all those winning slips.
