Liverpool vs Newcastle United

Anfield is the venue as in-form Liverpool and troubled Newcastle United go head-to-head in a lopsided New Year’s Day Premier League fixture.

Liverpool dropped the curtain on 2023 with a 2-0 win at Burnley, stretching their unbeaten Premier League run to 12 games (W7, D5) en route to leapfrogging Arsenal at the summit. Jurgen Klopp’s high-flyers can now extend their lead at the top against an out-of-sorts Newcastle side they’ve defeated in their last five top-flight H2Hs. Anfield is a perfect venue to make it six in a row as the ‘Reds’ take the field amid a formidable run of 50 unbeaten home league matches in their last 51 (W38, D12). However, Liverpool would be wise not to take anything for granted, considering they’ve started the three previous calendar years on a winless note (D1, L2). Against this backdrop, playing on New Year’s Day suits the Merseyside heavyweights, as they’ve won four of their last five matches on January 1 (D1).

In the meantime, Newcastle United’s dreadful spell of form hit a new low on Boxing Day as Nottingham Forest became only the second Premier League side to win at St James’ Park this season with a 3-1 victory. Condemned to a sixth defeat in their last seven competitive outings (W1), the injury-ravaged ‘Magpies’ look doomed before the kick-off. Eddie Howe’s depleted line-up is unlikely to stand a chance at Anfield, especially considering only rock-bottom Sheffield United (2) have amassed fewer away league points than Newcastle (5) this season. Since their only top-flight triumph on the road in September, the visitors have lost four of their subsequent six Premier League games outside St James’ Park (D2), conceding 2+ goals on five occasions.