NEWCASTLE UNITED pipped Liverpool to a top-four finish last year and will be looking to make a statement of intent for the new Premier League campaign when the Anfield giants come to St James' Park.
Eddie Howe's side battered Aston Villa 5-1 at home on the opening day and I thought they might cause champions Manchester City a few problems at the Etihad last weekend with Pep Guardiola's side coming off a midweek clash with Sevilla in the Super Cup.
But the Magpies didn't carry much of a threat and it turned out to be a missed opportunity as City claimed a 1-0 victory to show they're in no mood to surrender their crown.
Liverpool have been the closest challengers to Guardiola's slick side for most of the Catalan's Etihad reign but they were a massive disappointment last season and only managed to climb to fifth after hitting form towards the end of the campaign.
Jurgen Klopp has revamped his midfield this summer with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominic Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo arriving after six players moved on. The Reds still look a few players short of becoming serious title contenders again but they have made a decent start to the season.
After drawing 1-1 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Liverpool beat Bournemouth 3-1 at Anfield last weekend, with a first-half goal flurry bringing up one of my bets. It wasn't a convincing display though and the Reds had to hold on after the break when Mac Allister was wrongly red carded.
Bournemouth could easily have scored more than once and Klopp will need his side to defend far better if they're to cope with Newcastle's dangerous attack.
How the bookies view it
It's says everything about Newcastle's rapid resurgence under Howe that Liverpool are as big as 41/20 at Midnite for a win at St James' Park. The Magpies are just 5/4 at BetUK while the draw pays 3/1 at William Hill.
Recent head to head
Liverpool have been a bogey team for Newcastle and you have to go back to 2015 for the last time the Magpies came out on top in this fixture. Of those 13 matches, nine ended in victories for the Reds. Klopp's side won both meetings last term, with Fabio Carvalho scoring a late winner in a 2-1 triumph at Anfield before Liverpool won 2-0 at St James.
Players to watch
It looks like Alexander Isak is ready to push on this season after showing flashes of brilliance following his big-money move from Real Sociedad last term. The Swede netted twice in the rout of Aston Villa and is 13/8 at Unibet for anytime scorer here.
Mo Salah opened his account for the season against Bournemouth last time out and the Egyptian is always a threat. He's 2/1 with William Hill for anytime scorer and you rarely see him at those kind of odds for a goal.
Anything else catch the eye?
This fixture usually produces plenty of thrills and the early evidence from this campaign suggests another goalfest. With Liverpool looking so vulnerable at the back, over 1.5 Newcastle strikes appeals at 10/13 with VBet while backing them to score in each half is better value at 33/20 with Coral. Backing over 1.5 first-half goals paid off for me at Anfield last week and a repeat here pays 13/10 with the same firm.
Both meetings last term hit double figures on the corner count and that makes over 10 corners worth a punt at 6/5 with Bet365. The same firm are also offering 11/10 on Newcastle -1 in the corner handicap.
Sandro Tonali scored on his St James' Park debut for Newcastle and the former AC Milan midfielder looks decent value for a shot on goal here at 33/20 with Unibet, who also have impressive Liverpool new boy Szoboszlai at evens in the same market.
This English Premier League match between Newcastle United and Liverpool will be played on Aug 27, 2023 and kick off at 16:30. 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.
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