Eddie Howe is predicted to make two changes to his Newcastle United starting XI against Liverpool on New Year’s Day.
The Magpies head to Anfield in terrible form, and the mood got even worse on Boxing Day when Nottingham Forest took all three points from their visit to St James’ Park.
Newcastle are now bracing themselves for a very difficult January, starting against Liverpool on Monday night.
It is an unenviable task for Howe’s side, who arrive in bad form at a ground they never win at to take on a team who are challenging for the Premier League title.
The deck appears to be stacked against Newcastle, and this is the starting XI we predict Eddie Howe to go with against Liverpool
Livramento replaces Burn against Liverpool
One player who massively struggled against Nottingham Forest was Dan Burn. He had a torrid afternoon up against Anthony Elanga, leading to the £13million defender receiving a lot of criticism.
Alan Shearer does not think that Burn is fully fit yet after his recent back injury, and this seems like an ideal time to drop him to the bench.
Whoever plays on the left of defence at Anfield will have to deal with Mo Salah, which is why Howe must bring Tino Livramento back into the side. The 21-year-old is much better equipped to deal with the Liverpool winger, after starting our previous two games on the bench.
Joelinton back in the Newcastle midfield
Joelinton was only fit enough to be a substitute against Forest, coming on for the final 20 minutes as the Magpies lost 3-1.
Ahead of the Liverpool game, Howe has been full of praise for Joelinton, talking up the 27-year-old’s importance to the side. That will surely lead to him starting on Merseyside.
Who he should replace is up for debate. If Howe wants to play Joelinton in midfield, it is between Lewis Miley and Sean Longstaff. On current form, Miley has to retain his place in the side, but Longstaff is certainly one of Howe’s favourites.
Alternatively, Joelinton could play in attack to give Miguel Almiron a rest. He is not in great form right now and could do with a break from the starting XI.
But if I was a guessing man I would say that Longstaff is the most likely to come out of the side in place of Joelinton.
Alexander Isak up front
Alexander Isak made his Newcastle United debut at Anfield last season, scoring a wonderful goal in a 2-1 defeat.
A similar performance on Monday night would be more than welcome, and the Swede looked in good form during the defeat to Forest. While Newcastle did not play well, Isak was one of our better players, which could lead to him keeping his place in the side to face Liverpool in our first game of 2024.
Predicted XI vs Liverpool: Dubravka; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Livramento; Miley, Bruno, Joelinton; Almiron, Isak, Gordon.
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