Liverpool and Newcastle United will face-off this weekend in their final fixture of 2008. While the away side are sitting pretty at the top of the Barclays Premier League table, their hosts are in decent, if not dazzling, touch themselves.
When Joe Kinnear took the reins at Newcastle in September, it appeared they were headed for an embarrassing relegation battle. In the period between Kevin Keegan’s controversial departure and the arrival of his interim successor, the Toon had sunk well into the drop zone. Indeed, only Tottenham Hotspur endured a more disastrous start to the season, when one considers that both sides were aiming for European football at season’s start.
Under Kinnear’s guidance, however, the Magpies have slowly regained confidence to the point where they might actually be called a Premier League-standard club once more. They have ground out results against dangerous and in-form teams – most notably Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge, just over a month ago – and have shown that, despite adopting a more workman-like approach than in previous years, they are still well capable of entertaining the Toon Army.
Newcastle’s Boxing Day defeat to Wigan Athletic was just their second loss in their last nine outings, and they currently sit 12th in the standings. However, they are still just two points above the relegation places, and some seven points shy of a potential UEFA Cup spot. Failure against the league leaders on Sunday could leave them brushing against the bottom three heading into the New Year, and frankly that’s a distinct possibility given both the quality of their opposition and the results of their last few encounters.
Liverpool’s recent record against the sleeping giants of Tyneside reads pretty darn well. Their last visit to St James’ Park culminated in a 3-0 win, but that scoreline doesn’t show just how comprehensively the Merseysiders beat their beleaguered and bedraggled hosts on a day that marked the beginning of the end of Sam Allardyce’s tenure. In all honesty, it could so easily have been 8-0 if Fernando Torres had brought his shooting boots.
And that was when Rafael Benitez’s job was in jeopardy amid a boardroom crisis that threatened to ruin the Anfield club. Now, circling at the summit of the standings, the Kop is rocking as they edge ever closer to what would be their very first Premier League crown, and their first English championship since 1990. They are refusing to get ahead of themselves, though, as the more seasoned Reds have seen more than their fair share of false dawns.
Nevertheless, Liverpool have a golden opportunity to claim pole position heading into 2009. They have been let off the hook by fellow front-runners Chelsea in recent weeks, as draws against Hull City and a 10-man Arsenal went unpunished. But after an impressive return to form against Bolton Wanderers on Friday, they will be pumped up and hoping to round out in style what has been their best start to a campaign in many a moon.
FORM GUIDE
Newcastle United
Nov 29 Middlesbrough 0-0 Newcastle United (Premier League)
Dec 06 Newcastle United 2-2 Stoke City (Premier League)
Dec 14 Portsmouth 0-3 Newcastle United (Premier League)
Dec 21 Newcastle United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League)
Dec 26 Wigan Athletic 2-1 Newcastle United (Premier League)
Liverpool
Dec 06 Blackburn Rovers 1-3 Liverpool (Premier League)
Dec 09 PSV Eindhoven 1-3 Liverpool (Champions League)
Dec 13 Hull City 2-2 Liverpool (Premier League)
Dec 21 Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool (Premier League)
Dec 26 Liverpool 3-0 Bolton Wanderers (Premier League)
TEAM NEWS
Newcastle United
Jose Enrique injured his calf during the warm-up at Wigan and will sit out. The Spanish defender will be joined on the sidelines by fellow full-back Habib Beye (leg) and Australian striker Mark Viduka (groin).
Sebastien Bassong is suspended, meaning midfielders David Edgar and Charles N’Zogbia are likely to line up at the back.
Newcastle squad: Given, Coloccini, Gutierrez, Butt, Guthrie, N'Zogbia, Duff, Owen, Harper, Taylor, Geremi, Edgar, Xisco, Carroll, Ameobi, LuaLua, Gonzalez.
Liverpool
Alvaro Arbeloa will miss out again due to a hamstring injury, but Javier Mascherano is expected to slot back into midfield after suffering a bout of the flu – the Argentine battler was an unused substitute against Bolton.
The big news, however, is that Torres has been named in the travelling party and could make the bench. The EURO 2008-winning striker has been undergoing extensive treatment for a recurring hamstring problem.
Liverpool squad: Reina, Carragher, Agger, Hyypia, Insua, Alonso, Mascherano, Kuyt, Gerrard, Keane, Cavalieri, Darby, Babel, Benayoun, Lucas, Ngog, El Zhar, Torres.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Michael Owen (Newcastle United)
Even if he wasn’t facing the club with whom he rose to fame as a teenager, there’s no denying that the England exile would draw more attention than anyone else on the home team. He has netted seven times this season, although he will need to put on a fine display if injury-hit Toon are to hold off the table-toppers.
Robbie Keane (Liverpool)
Is the impish Irishman finally finding his feet with the Reds? Keane followed up his superb strike against Arsenal by bagging a Boxing Day brace against Bolton, and it would be far from surprising if he continued that scoring run on his trip to the North East.
When Joe Kinnear took the reins at Newcastle in September, it appeared they were headed for an embarrassing relegation battle. In the period between Kevin Keegan’s controversial departure and the arrival of his interim successor, the Toon had sunk well into the drop zone. Indeed, only Tottenham Hotspur endured a more disastrous start to the season, when one considers that both sides were aiming for European football at season’s start.
Under Kinnear’s guidance, however, the Magpies have slowly regained confidence to the point where they might actually be called a Premier League-standard club once more. They have ground out results against dangerous and in-form teams – most notably Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge, just over a month ago – and have shown that, despite adopting a more workman-like approach than in previous years, they are still well capable of entertaining the Toon Army.
Newcastle’s Boxing Day defeat to Wigan Athletic was just their second loss in their last nine outings, and they currently sit 12th in the standings. However, they are still just two points above the relegation places, and some seven points shy of a potential UEFA Cup spot. Failure against the league leaders on Sunday could leave them brushing against the bottom three heading into the New Year, and frankly that’s a distinct possibility given both the quality of their opposition and the results of their last few encounters.
Liverpool’s recent record against the sleeping giants of Tyneside reads pretty darn well. Their last visit to St James’ Park culminated in a 3-0 win, but that scoreline doesn’t show just how comprehensively the Merseysiders beat their beleaguered and bedraggled hosts on a day that marked the beginning of the end of Sam Allardyce’s tenure. In all honesty, it could so easily have been 8-0 if Fernando Torres had brought his shooting boots.
And that was when Rafael Benitez’s job was in jeopardy amid a boardroom crisis that threatened to ruin the Anfield club. Now, circling at the summit of the standings, the Kop is rocking as they edge ever closer to what would be their very first Premier League crown, and their first English championship since 1990. They are refusing to get ahead of themselves, though, as the more seasoned Reds have seen more than their fair share of false dawns.
Nevertheless, Liverpool have a golden opportunity to claim pole position heading into 2009. They have been let off the hook by fellow front-runners Chelsea in recent weeks, as draws against Hull City and a 10-man Arsenal went unpunished. But after an impressive return to form against Bolton Wanderers on Friday, they will be pumped up and hoping to round out in style what has been their best start to a campaign in many a moon.
FORM GUIDE
Newcastle United
Nov 29 Middlesbrough 0-0 Newcastle United (Premier League)
Dec 06 Newcastle United 2-2 Stoke City (Premier League)
Dec 14 Portsmouth 0-3 Newcastle United (Premier League)
Dec 21 Newcastle United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League)
Dec 26 Wigan Athletic 2-1 Newcastle United (Premier League)
Liverpool
Dec 06 Blackburn Rovers 1-3 Liverpool (Premier League)
Dec 09 PSV Eindhoven 1-3 Liverpool (Champions League)
Dec 13 Hull City 2-2 Liverpool (Premier League)
Dec 21 Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool (Premier League)
Dec 26 Liverpool 3-0 Bolton Wanderers (Premier League)
TEAM NEWS
Newcastle United
Jose Enrique injured his calf during the warm-up at Wigan and will sit out. The Spanish defender will be joined on the sidelines by fellow full-back Habib Beye (leg) and Australian striker Mark Viduka (groin).
Sebastien Bassong is suspended, meaning midfielders David Edgar and Charles N’Zogbia are likely to line up at the back.
Newcastle squad: Given, Coloccini, Gutierrez, Butt, Guthrie, N'Zogbia, Duff, Owen, Harper, Taylor, Geremi, Edgar, Xisco, Carroll, Ameobi, LuaLua, Gonzalez.
Liverpool
Alvaro Arbeloa will miss out again due to a hamstring injury, but Javier Mascherano is expected to slot back into midfield after suffering a bout of the flu – the Argentine battler was an unused substitute against Bolton.
The big news, however, is that Torres has been named in the travelling party and could make the bench. The EURO 2008-winning striker has been undergoing extensive treatment for a recurring hamstring problem.
Liverpool squad: Reina, Carragher, Agger, Hyypia, Insua, Alonso, Mascherano, Kuyt, Gerrard, Keane, Cavalieri, Darby, Babel, Benayoun, Lucas, Ngog, El Zhar, Torres.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Michael Owen (Newcastle United)
Even if he wasn’t facing the club with whom he rose to fame as a teenager, there’s no denying that the England exile would draw more attention than anyone else on the home team. He has netted seven times this season, although he will need to put on a fine display if injury-hit Toon are to hold off the table-toppers.
Robbie Keane (Liverpool)
Is the impish Irishman finally finding his feet with the Reds? Keane followed up his superb strike against Arsenal by bagging a Boxing Day brace against Bolton, and it would be far from surprising if he continued that scoring run on his trip to the North East.
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