The defending Premier League champions, Liverpool, are heading to St. James Park for a highly anticipated match against Newcastle.
Liverpool are a small favorite for this contest on the DraftKings Sportsbook. Here is a preview, prediction and pick for the fixture.
Newcastle vs. Liverpool Prediction
Newcastle and Liverpool are facing off on Monday at St. James Park in what has become one of the most anticipated fixtures of the young season. These are two fantastic sides: the reigning Premier League champions, Liverpool, and the reigning Carabao Cup champions, Newcastle. However, most of the anticipation around this match isn’t due to what should be a great battle on the pitch, but the increasing drama off the pitch. Liverpool have made a bid for Newcastle’s star striker, Alexander Isak. The transfer saga has turned into a mess. Isak has stayed away from the team and made an announcement on social media that he plans on never playing for the club again, whether they sell him or not. Liverpool seem to still want to make their move for Isak, while Newcastle seem reluctant to sell the star for any less than what they deem he is worth.
The two supporter groups have bad blood over this Isak saga, and the Newcastle players can’t be happy with Liverpool for the cloud that has been hanging over their team. Of course, the Liverpool players are not the ones at fault in this situation, but the Newcastle players are unable to take out their aggression on John Henry, Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes, so they might do so on the pitch against Liverpool’s players instead. The Newcastle supporters should be at top voice making their frustration heard, making this a tough task for Liverpool.
In Matchweek 1, Liverpool beat Bournemouth in a 4-2 thriller. They took a 2-0 lead and looked the dominant side before letting Bournemouth back into the match to level it at 2-2. Late goals from Federico Chiesa and Mo Salah sealed the game for Liverpool, however. Newcastle looked a bit sluggish in their season opener. They played a cagey 0-0 match against Aston Villa. They didn’t look at their best going forward, then once Ezri Konsa got a red card for Villa in the 66th minute, Villa packed in to secure the draw. Eddie Howe will be looking for a more energetic, aggressive performance out of his side in this match.
Newcastle vs. Liverpool Pick, Best Bet
My best bet for this game is for Liverpool to get the win. The defending Premier League champions can be found at +100 on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. Liverpool showed in their opener that they will be one of the most dangerous attacking teams in the Premier League once again. Mo Salah is a machine, Cody Gakpo has carried over his good form from last season and newcomers Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz look sharp in red already.
Liverpool have some issues defensively, especially with Jeremie Frimpong injured and out for this match. However, Newcastle might not be able to expose those weaknesses. They have yet to find a replacement for Isak and don’t have a true striker to play down the middle. Starting a winger like Anthony Gordon at striker will make it tough for them to score against one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Alisson Becker. Liverpool should just have too much firepower and will find a way to win the match in a tough environment.
