Liverpool will play the first Premier League game of 2024 on Monday night when they host Newcastle United at Anfield.
Goals from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota earned a 2-0 win at Burnley on Boxing Day and following Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to West Ham United two days later, that ensured the Reds ended the last game week sitting top of the Premier League. Now at the halfway point of the 2023-24 campaign, Liverpool kick-off the second half of the season when they take on Newcastle.
The last meeting between the two sides saw Nunez come off the bench and score twice to help the 10-men Reds to an impressive 2-1 win at St James’ Park. So can Jurgen Klopp’s men repeat the trick start 2024 with three points? Let’s take a look.
We simulated Liverpool vs Newcastle United to get a score prediction
To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 24 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that Liverpool could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez; Szoboszlai, Endo, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo
We predict that Newcastle could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Dubravka; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Livramento; Miley, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Isak, Gordon.
Newcastle caught Liverpool slacking in the opening stages as they created a few chances. The Reds were lucky not to fall behind after seven minutes when Anthony Gordon’s cutback was fired onto the crossbar by Lewis Miley. But the early chances for the Magpies seemed to awaken their opponents, and minutes later, Liverpool took the lead.
As the Reds countered the visitors following a turnover in possession, Curtis Jones found Nunez who isolated the last man in a one-on-one situation. The striker did brilliantly to tap the ball through the defender’s legs and beat him for pace, and his powerful strike took the ball past the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner for 1-0.
After going ahead, Liverpool were in full control, and Mohamed Salah was unlucky not to grab their second when his effort from a corner was blocked on the line. The pace slowed down as half time approached, but just before the break, the Reds managed to make it 2-0.
As Cody Gakpo carried the ball forward, he was swiped out just outside the box, with the referee awarding a free-kick in a dangerous position. Trent Alexander-Arnold stepped up to take and his effort flew into the net off the post to double the lead.
Two goals ahead, Liverpool controlled the second half, opting to control the ball and see out the victory instead of pushing for a third goal. The decision paid off as the Reds held out for a valuable three points at Anfield.
