Newcastle star who was ‘unbelievable’ vs Liverpool in December must step up amid injury blow

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Newcastle United have no time to rest after their chaotic win over Nottingham Forest with Premier League leaders Liverpool up next.

A trip to Anfield awaits Newcastle United on Wednesday evening which will give Eddie Howe’s side a chance to test their opposition for the upcoming 2025 Carabao Cup final.

Both sides will enter the clash full of confidence, with Liverpool fresh from a 2-0 win over Manchester City while Newcastle kept their Champions League hopes alive with a 4-3 win over Nottingham Forest.

Forest couldn’t handle Newcastle’s intensity during their four-goal blitz in the first half – if the Magpies play like that then they could spring an upset on Merseyside.

However, Newcastle were lucky to avoid a draw late on after they took their foot off the gas and let Forest back into it. They cannot afford a repeat of that second half at Anfield.

Fabian Schar was ‘unbelievable’ against Liverpool last time

If Newcastle’s last game against Liverpool is anything to go by, plenty more goals can be expected on Wednesday evening.

Fabian Schar starred in a 3-3 draw with Liverpool back in December, with the Newcastle defender scoring a brilliant last-gasp equaliser to rescue a point.

Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon also etched their name on the scoresheet, but Fabian Schar stole the headlines with a superb display.

After that draw, Liverpool manager Arne Slot praised Schar’s “unbelievable” goal, which followed a Newcastle free-kick.

Schar admitted he didn’t intend to score against Liverpool but was instead just trying to keep the ball in play. Schar celebrated his goal against Liverpool with a seven-word message on social media.

Fabian Schar must step up with Sven Botman out injured

With Lloyd Kelly joining Juventus on loan over the January transfer window, Howe has been left short of options at the back.

Those options shrunk even smaller when Howe confirmed Sven Botman’s injury in the lead up to the Forest clash.

In his pre-match press conference, Howe said: “We’re going to have to see how things stand for next weekend”. With the Liverpool match taking place on Wednesday, it seems Botman will be unavailable once again.

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It means Howe will likely have to stick with the centre-back pairing of Dan Burn and Schar – who lined up against Liverpool at St James’ Park in December and conceded three goals.

If Newcastle plan on taking any points back to the North East, Schar will have to step up, especially after a fairly disappointing display against Forest.