THIS hasn't been the season of goodwill for Steve Bruce at Newcastle and another festive flop against Liverpool will increase the pressure on the Magpies boss.
Bruce's men have lost three of their last four games, with the other match during that run a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Fulham.
The League Cup defeat to Championship side Brentford was the most damaging of those defeats, with punters reacting in fury as yet another chance to lift some silverware disappeared.
The weekend clash with Manchester City seemed to be more about damage limitation after Pep Guardiola's men netted early to bring up one of my tips.
And this match with the champions could be the same, even though Liverpool bust plenty of coupons by drawing at home to lowly West Brom, with our man Slips Tips one of many left disappointed.
Those dropped points weren't too damaging for the Reds as most of their title rivals also slipped up but Jurgen Klopp will be determined to get back on track with a win at St James'.
How the bookies view it
Newcastle have been written off by the bookies and are as big as 11/1 with SBK for a win while Liverpool's best price is 7/20 at Novibet. The draw pays 27/5 at SBK.
Recent head to head
Liverpool have bossed this fixture of late, racking up five successive wins. But Newcastle were unbeaten in three before that, with two draws and one victory.
Last season, Liverpool claimed a 3-1 victory at Anfield before winning by the same margin at St James' Park (below).
Players to watch
Injury kept Newcastle top scorer Callum Wilson out against Manchester City as he stayed on the bench throughout. But the striker should return here and is a best 10/3 with Sporting Index for anytime scorer.
Klopp (below) has been fielding strong teams and I fancy Roberto Firmino for a goal here After a long drought the Brazilian has three in his last three games and is 31/20 with 888Sport for a goal.
Anything else catch the eye?
For a long-odds option you could do worse than back a Liverpool win from behind at 15/2 with BetVictor. That bet came up in both games against Newcastle last term.
The Reds are 19/20 with William Hill to score in both halves and that seems a good option while over 2.5 Liverpool goals also appeals at 11/10 with Bet365.
I'd expect the Magpies to sit deep and try to frustrate Klopp's side and that could lead to some meaty tackles. So the 17/20 on offer at McBookie for over 2.5 cards looks good value.
This English Premier League match between Newcastle United and Liverpool will be played on Dec 30, 2020 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Newcastle United vs Liverpool prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.