Premier League leaders Liverpool travel to St James’ Park on Wednesday night to take on Newcastle United, riding the wave of a dominant weekend that saw them edge closer to title glory. Meanwhile, the Magpies were left frustrated by a late equalizer in their 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.

Arne Slot’s Liverpool effectively ended Manchester City’s title defence with a convincing 2-0 victory on Sunday, just a day after Newcastle surrendered two points in stoppage time at Selhurst Park. Gary Neville’s post-match analysis summed it up aptly: Liverpool were the men, and Man City were the boys. Cody Gakpo’s close-range finish and Mohamed Salah’s penalty secured the Reds’ victory and opened an 11-point gap over the faltering champions. Despite Pep Guardiola’s trademark defiant gestures, Man City’s sixth loss in seven matches left them a distant memory in the title race. Liverpool also lead Arsenal and Chelsea by nine points, maintaining their grip at the summit with just over a third of the season completed. No Premier League team with a six-point lead after 13 games has ever failed to claim the title, and Liverpool’s current form suggests that record will remain intact. Slot’s men have now won seven matches in succession across all competitions, scoring at least twice in each of their last eight games. The Dutchman, who succeeded Jurgen Klopp, remains unbeaten in away fixtures, the sole blemish being a draw at Arsenal in October. Newcastle, in contrast, continue to grapple with inconsistency. Eddie Howe’s side were minutes away from victory at Palace, courtesy of Marc Guehi’s own goal, before Guehi’s pinpoint cross allowed Daniel Munoz to head home a stoppage-time equalizer. That result followed a 2-0 home loss to West Ham and left Newcastle in 11th place, four points shy of the Champions League spots. With only two wins in their last nine league outings, and no goals in two of their previous three home matches, the Magpies’ European ambitions are under threat.

St James’ Park has not been a fortress of late, with Newcastle facing the prospect of back-to-back home league defeats for only the third time since their 2021 takeover. Adding to their woes, Newcastle are winless in their last 15 matches against Liverpool, losing the previous six encounters. Their last triumph came in December 2015, with Georginio Wijnaldum—now a former Liverpool player—on the scoresheet. Liverpool head into this fixture with a patched-up defence, having lost Ibrahima Konate (knee) and Conor Bradley (hamstring) to injuries against Real Madrid in the Champions League. They join Kostas Tsimikas (ankle) and Alisson Becker (hamstring) on the sidelines. With just 72 hours between matches, none of the injured quartet are expected to feature, and the same applies to Diogo Jota (abdominal) and Federico Chiesa (fitness). Slot may rotate his squad, bringing in Darwin Nunez for Cody Gakpo or Luis Diaz, while Dominik Szoboszlai could make way for Curtis Jones in midfield. Newcastle’s injury concerns are no less significant. Alexander Isak, withdrawn against Palace with a hip injury, is a doubt for Wednesday, although Howe downplayed the severity of the issue. If Isak is unavailable, Callum Wilson could make his first league start of the season. Defensive absentees Sven Botman (knee), Jamaal Lascelles (knee), and Emil Krafth (shoulder) remain out until the New Year.

Even if Isak recovers, Newcastle’s recent struggles in front of goal at St James’ Park do not bode well against Liverpool’s league-best defence. With momentum firmly on their side, the table-topping Reds are expected to extend their winning streak and reinforce their dominance.

Best Tip: Over 1.5

Correct Score: 1-3