Perhaps a bit like Tottenham, Newcastle United are one of those sides that always seem to deliver fireworks when facing Liverpool, and the two storied clubs will meet once again in the Premier League on Saturday at Anfield.
Over the past few seasons, Liverpool–Newcastle clashes have rarely lacked entertainment, from Darwin Núñez’s dramatic game-winning brace to some of the Reds’ most electric attacking displays against their Tyneside rivals—perhaps most memorably when Jürgen Klopp’s side shattered the Premier League xG record (7.39) in a 4-2 win over the Magpies in 2024.
This season has been no different. After a 10-man Newcastle side thought they had snatched a late equalizer back in August, 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha struck the latest winner in league history.
Off the pitch, the two clubs also became increasingly intertwined, as the saga surrounding former Toon Alexander Isak’s move to Anfield—and Liverpool’s subsequent signing of Hugo Ekitiké, who had also been linked with Newcastle—has only added further tension to Saturday’s showdown.
With so much recent history in mind—and as the Reds push to stay in the top-four hunt while Newcastle begin a grueling run of domestic fixtures—what should fans be watching for when the sides kick off at Anfield?
1. Anticipate fouls; lots of them
As mentioned earlier, Newcastle have plenty of reasons to feel aggrieved by the Reds over the past few months: a 16-year-old breaking their hearts in their own park, their star striker forcing a move to Anfield, and Liverpool snapping up the player they had earmarked as his replacement. Expect the Magpies to play with plenty of aggression as such.
Even in their most recent meeting, St. James’ Park was baying for blood, and the intensity boiled over when Anthony Gordon recklessly slid through Virgil van Dijk, picking up a needless red card that changed the course of the match.
That incident will surely still be on the minds of both teams, especially given the additional five total yellow cards shown during the game.
There’s also no shortage of other characters on either side capable of dragging the match into pugnacious territory.
Newcastle captain and Brazil international Bruno Guimarães is as feisty as they come, while the 5'9" Argentine spitfire Alexis Mac Allister brings plenty of bite of his own—most evident this season when he was the first to confront Gabi Martinelli after his disgraceful shove on an injured Conor Bradley.
Expect attempts from Newcastle to unsettle the usually composed Hugo Ekitiké as well. Last time, the Frenchman shrugged off efforts by the Magpies to bait him into a reaction and has now sent a clear message ahead of Saturday’s clash.
When asked whether traveling Newcastle fans might give him some stick at Anfield, he simply replied: “I don’t care. I play for Liverpool, and I have my fans here.”
Hilariously enough, both Liverpool and Newcastle currently rank as the bottom two sides in the league for total fouls committed this season—but you can throw that stat out the window given the heated subtext surrounding this game.
2. Liverpool's revitalized set pieces could play a factor
Almost a direct response to criticism of their set-piece struggles following the draw with Burnley, Liverpool have now scored from five dead-ball situations across three consecutive games—a massively positive turnaround after more than a month without one.
A trio of free-kick strikes from Szoboszlai and Salah, along with corner goals against Qarabag and Bournemouth, has suddenly made new set-piece coach Lewis Mahoney look like the perfect fit for the job.
Saturday marking a fourth straight game with such a goal could be huge in a match likely to be scrappy from open play.
Sure, Newcastle and Qarabag are two very different challenges, but alongside Salah’s pearler, Virgil van Dijk was nearly unstoppable in the air from corners, coming close to scoring on multiple occasions.
In fact, despite the crushing defeat to Bournemouth, the Dutch giant also netted his first goal of the season from a corner against the Cherries.
If he can score from set pieces in two consecutive league games, it could prove hugely significant.
As impressive as Liverpool’s attacking set pieces have been lately, they’ll still need to be wary of a recurring early-season weakness: defending them.
After going down to 10 men in the reverse fixture, Newcastle thrived on the chaos created by long throws and free kicks into the box, and the Reds would do well to keep that in mind ahead of Saturday.
Fortunately, Milos Kerkez—one of the Reds’ main culprits in poor set-piece defending who was overpowered by Guimaraes to give Newcastle a lifeline last time—has improved significantly since August and will be a key player to watch in this matchup.
Gordon recently remarked that the Premier League’s focus on set-piece goals has grown a bit dull, and while he certainly has a point, Liverpool will take goals by any means necessary on Saturday.
3. Expect starters to go the distance
If there was one cloud over Liverpool’s emphatic midweek Champions League win, it was Jeremie Frimpong picking up a non-contact injury just three minutes into the match.
Fortunately, Arne Slot confirmed it should sideline him for only a few weeks rather than a prolonged spell, but the Reds will now face Newcastle with an extremely thin backline.
In addition to missing Frimpong, Liverpool will also still be without Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley, and Giovanni Leoni.
Had Ibrahima Konaté, appropriately out of action for the Reds’ last two games while grieving his father’s passing, not been ready to play, the back four could have looked nearly unrecognizable.
With no natural right backs available, there’s a strong possibility Slot may deploy Szoboszlai in the position.
The Dutchman would certainly prefer to play him further up the pitch, but the current circumstances make it all but necessary, and he's shown to be more than capable of playing there on multiple occasions.
Meanwhile, Alexis Mac Allister may have found his breakthrough against Qarabag with a brace, hopefully giving Slot confidence that he can operate alongside Gravenberch and Wirtz in the midfield while the Hungarian covers at the back.
Players like Wataru Endo performed admirably against Qarabag, but Slot must feel that Saturday’s game will need to be won through consistent, 90-minute performances across the board.
The results haven’t always gone their way this season, but with so many instances of the Reds playing full matches—and having been able to rest key starters once the Qarabag match was put to bed—Liverpool will need their Starting XI firing to secure all three points.