- Liverpool have won seven of the last 10 meetings (7-2-1)
- Newcastle's last 12 league goals have all been scored by Frenchman
Steven Gerrard is one away from recording 100 PL goals
On Saturday at St. James' Park, two sides who've produced plenty of memorable Premier League moments over the years will lock horns as Newcastle host Liverpool. (7:30am ET, watch live on NBCSN and online via NBC Sports Live Extra)
Can another PL classic prevail? We certainly hope so.
And following Liverpool's huge victory over Newcastle last season -- the Reds 6-0 win was United's worst home defeat since 1925 -- revenge is in the air for Alan Pardew's men.
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After an up and down start to the season, the Magpies are certainly looking a lot more settled this year after struggling to avoid relegation last time out. But there's still plenty of unrest surrounding the club, with supporters set to protest against owner Mike Ashley before the game and wave white handkerchiefs to show their displeasure at the way Newcastle is being run.
But on the pitch, a 2-1 win away at Cardiff last time out has elevated the Magpies to 11th and a win against Liverpool could take them into the top five. Loic Remy has five PL goals so far this season, and the Frenchman is looking cool and composed up front to wreck havoc. However, Newcastle have only recorded one win in their last 10 league games against Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers' side are looking fired up this season.
With Luis Suarez returning to form a marvelous forward partnership with Daniel Sturridge, the Reds finally have a duo that can tear the opposition apart in a split second. And with a solid 3-5-2 system suiting the possession-based style Rodgers prefers, Liverpool are looking comfortable and expansive this campaign. Expect an exciting clash, as always, when these two meet. There hasn't been a goalless draw since 1974 between these two teams, and don't expect one on Saturday.
In terms of injuries, Newcastle have a few concerns with defenders Steven Taylor and Fabio Coloccini missing out through injury, while Jonas Gutierrez is out due to family issues. For Liverpool, the trio of Joe Allen, Glen Johnson and Aly Cissokho could all return and Lucas Leiva is back from a ban.
What they're saying
Alan Pardew on Newcastle's demoralizing 6-0 defeat to Liverpool last season: "Psychologically it's a completely different place to where we were. We're in a much better place now and we'll give a better account of ourselves. It was probably my heaviest defeat as a manager. It's a game you don't ever want to experience but it happens sometimes in a season. You have to make sure it doesn't happen again and try to build yourself up."
Daniel Sturridge on his partnership with Luis Suarez: "It's a beautiful thing to have the relationship on the field with him. We have a good understanding, have assisted each other on different occasions and it's a great feeling. We help each other and improve each other and we also get along off the field. At the end of the day, it's just important that we're doing the business for the team. And we wouldn't be able to do it if it wasn't for everyone behind us. Victor [Moses], Jordan [Henderson] and Coutinho when he returns and everyone behind them have been fantastic."
Prediction
After several 4-3 thrillers across the years and plenty of classic PL encounters, here's hoping we see another at St. James' Park on Saturday. With Liverpool looking very solid at the back and relying on Sturridge and Suarez to score the goals, this may be less of an open affair, however you never know with this fixture. Remy and Sturridge are the PL's top two scorers, so if they're on fire all hell will break loose. I'm going for another entertaining Liverpool win, but Newcastle will push them all the way. The Reds' front two will be the difference, once again.
