The first midweek round of fixtures in the Premier League this season ends on Wednesday night as Newcastle travel to Anfield to face Liverpool. These are two sides that have had opposing starts to the season compared to where they feel they should be, as Liverpool sit on just five points after four games and the Magpies are unbeaten in their first four – including a 3-3 thriller with Manchester City.

Liverpool finally managed to pick up their first win on the weekend as they hit nine past Bournemouth. They will be looking to build on that with another home victory as they try and make up for their poor start with only one point from their first three games. Due to the extremely high levels that both they and Manchester City have set in recent seasons, every dropped point feels like it will be crucial at the end of the season. They are going into this game five points behind Manchester City and it’s vital that they do not fall further behind, even at this early stage. They have no new injury worries, and remain without Matip, Konate, Thiago, or the suspended Nunez. They may well start with the same team as that hammered Bournemouth.

Newcastle remain unbeaten so far this season despite some tough games. The highlight of their performances was a point against Manchester City where they would have felt they could have walked away with all three points. A point at Brighton and a win when hosting Nottingham Forest are both very credible results. However, they suffered with injuries, going into the Wolves game without both Bruno Guimaraes and Callum Wilson, and this has been furthered with the loss of Allan Saint-Maximin for this game. Kieran Trippier is also a doubt and looked in discomfort on the weekend, but Eddie Howe has said that he “should be fine” for this game. Alexander Isak is available but may not be eligible and it depends on his work permit, which may or may not be ready by the cut off of 75 minutes before kick-off. Given that it is unclear whether it will be ready in time, I would expect him to be on the bench if he is able to play at all, meaning Chris Wood should lead the line again.

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Liverpool v Newcastle Bet Builder Tips

Liverpool (-1)

Liverpool have been disappointed with their results so far but they can take positives out of the fact that they’ve been the better side in all of their games, with the exception of away at Old Trafford. They accumulated around 2.40 xG against both Fulham and Crystal Palace and over 4 xG when hosting Bournemouth on Saturday. Had they won their first two games, as they feel like they maybe should have done, they would be on nine points and people would be much more positive about them. Coming on the back of this 9-0 win, I think confidence should be high and they should manage to continue their record at Anfield. Going back to last season, this selection has landed in 10 of their last 13 home league games.

Newcastle are a much better side to what they have been in previous seasons as a result of new ownership, investment, and the coaching of Eddie Howe. However, their injury problems are massive and might be missing arguably their four best players in Trippier, ASM, Guimaraes and Callum Wilson. All four of these played in their impressive performance at home to Manchester City, and they will look significantly weaker without them – particularly if Isak can’t play. They were fortunate that Saint-Maximin got them out of trouble on the weekend at Wolves, but without him, I struggle to see where they will find the back of the net and I expect plenty of Liverpool chances.

Whilst it is difficult to compare this Newcastle team to years gone by, Anfield has not been a place of happy memories for the travelling supporters. They have not won in 26 games there, and have lost 21 of those, conceding 109 goals in this time. This selection has landed four of the last five times the Magpies have travelled to Liverpool.

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Mohammed Salah to Score

Fantasy football managers across the country would have been both amazed and massively underwhelmed with Mohammed Salah’s performance on the weekend given that Liverpool scored nine goals and he was not involved in any of them. This feeling of disappointment would have been furthered given having seen him miss two glorious chances – one of which from two yards out. The Egyptian forward however will be looking to make things right and continue his streak of scoring in alternate games so far this season.

As Liverpool’s main man again, he continues to have plenty of opportunities and shots with 12 in his four games so far, and I expect him to have more here. His non-penalty xG was 0.55 last year, and has remained similar this year, currently at 0.56. It seems many have forgotten his class given he was not on the scoresheet on Saturday and there’s a new kid in town as Haaland proves his class at Manchester City. Salah has a point to prove. He remains one short of becoming Liverpool’s outright second-highest scorer in the Premier League and he would love to achieve that feat at Anfield.

Salah also loves to play against the Magpies. He has scored in five successive home league games against them and has six goals in his last seven starts against them. Of course, he is also on penalties if necessary and Liverpool are yet to have one this season.

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Miguel Almiron 2+ Shots

Given Newcastle’s injury worries coming into this game, there is responsibility on someone to step up – and I think that person will be Miguel Almiron. On the back of a good preseason, he has started all four games so far and has racked up eight shots, including three in each of his last two. Saint-Maximin has the highest number of shots and shots per 90 at the club so far this season, and given that he is out, Almiron should have more freedom to express himself on the right. He managed three against Manchester City and I think that there is some value on him here.

Each of the right wingers to have faced Liverpool so far this season – Mahrez, Kebano, Ayew, Sancho and Anthony – have managed at least one shot. Many of these teams have set up far more negatively than I expect Eddie Howe’s Newcastle to and have still managed a shot. Given that Almiron should be given more responsibility on Wednesday night as well as Newcastle’s attacking intent, I think he will manage two shots.

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Chris Wood 1+ Shot on Target

Chris Wood has something to prove to both Eddie Howe and Newcastle fans. Signing from Burnley in January, he was given an opportunity last season as a result of Wilson’s injuries but has not been many this season and will not be given many more given Isak’s big money move to St James’ Park. On Sunday, he played against Wolves and managed two shots, one of which was on target in his 64 minutes before being subbed for Ryan Fraser. Fraser, however, should start this game due to ASM’s injury and therefore there is more likelihood that Chris Wood gets more minutes.

The New Zealander also managed two shots on target in his cup game against Tranmere and has a decent record against Liverpool for hitting the target, even if he’s yet to score against them. In his last five starts against them, he has managed a shot on target in three of them, and all of these starts were for a very poor and defensive Burnley side. Given that Newcastle should see more of the ball than those Burnley sides, I think he should manage to have an opportunity, whether that is with the ball at his feet or in the air.

In their five matches so far (including Community Shield), Liverpool have afforded all five strikers – Haaland, Mitrovic, Zaha, Rashford and Moore – at least one shot on target, and the five between them have amassed eight, as well as 16 shots. Kieffer Moore is of most interest to me there because he is similar in ways to Wood as a right footed big target man and plays in a much worse team that lost 9-0. If Moore had two shots, one of which was on target, then I fancy Wood to as well – especially given he must impress in order to have any gametime when Isak and Wilson are both eligible and fit.

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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets *

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* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *

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How to watch Liverpool v Newcastle in the Premier League

📅   When is Liverpool v Newcastle? / Wednesday, 31st August 2022, 20:00
🏟   Where is Liverpool v Newcastle? / Anfield (Liverpool)
📺   What TV channel is Liverpool v Newcastle on? / BT Sport 🟨   …And who is the referee for Liverpool v Newcastle? / A. Marriner 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿