Eddie Howe was not the first choice to become Newcastle United manager, but he did his job very well last season, guiding the Toon to a fourth place finish and a UEFA Champions League berth. This weekend they will head to Liverpool sitting below the cutoff for all European football qualification for next season.
They’re also out of Europe entirely for this term and eliminated from the EFL Cup.
Liverpool FC vs Newcastle United FYIs
Kickoff: New Year’s Day, 8pm, Anfield, Liverpool, UK
Team News: Newcastle Liverpool
Starting XI Predictions: Newcastle Liverpool
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Result Probability: Newcastle 15% Liverpool 66% Draw 19%
PL Form, Position: Newcastle LLWLL, 29 pts, 8th Liverpool WDDWW, 42 pts, 1st
This is the worst possible time for Eddie Howe and his men to take on a team that they haven’t beaten in their last 13 tries. It’s safe to say that once we get into the New Year, we could be talking about “Newcastle United Coaching Search Update” and “Newcastle Manager Candidates.
In the meantime, here is the lineup that we think gives Howe the best chance of bucking the trend.
Newcastle United Starting XI Prediction at Liverpool
Martin Dubravka; Kierian Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, Dan Burn; Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff; Anthony Gordon, Callum Wilson, Alexander Isak
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.