Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United welcome a Liverpool side managed by a familiar foe to St James Park in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has won each of his last ten top-flight meetings with Howe. If the Reds are victorious once again this weekend, Howe will become the first manager in Premier League history to ever lose 11 consecutive matches against the same opposition coach (per Opta).
Here’s the starting XI Howe may deploy to avoid becoming an unwanted part of history.
GK: Nick Pope – The only red card of Pope’s professional career came against Liverpool in February.
RB: Kieran Trippier – No player was voted the Premier League’s official player of the match more often than Trippier last season, winning 21 gongs to Erling Haaland’s 17.
CB: Fabian Schar – In what must feel like a different lifetime, Schar had to juggle playing football with studying economics and a regular job. “I used to work all day in the bank,” he remembered, “and then go to training and then come home and start my homework at 10pm.”
CB: Sven Botman – “Sven’s adapted really quickly to the pace,” Jamaal Lascelles, Newcastle’s captain, said last season. “It’s like he’s already played 300 times in the Premier League.” Sunday’s match will only be appearance 39.
LB: Dan Burn – The former Newcastle academy reject worked for Asda using his impossibly long limbs to collect trolleys while playing for Blyth Spartans at the start of his career.
CM: Sandro Tonali – Breakfast at Wetherspoons may terrify Newcastle’s team of dieticians but it has certainly endeared Tonali to the Toon Army.
CM: Bruno Guimaraes – After questioning the “short, stupid memories” of Newcastle fans on social media during the week, Guimaraes may need another stellar performance so that spectators can forget his sharp-tongued comments.
CM: Sean Longstaff – If Joelinton is not forced back from a knock, Longstaff serves as a hard-working deputy to the Brazilian.
RW: Anthony Gordon – The fastest player from the opening round of Premier League matches will certainly be looking to use that pace to get in behind Liverpool’s high line.
ST: Alexander Isak – Made his Newcastle debut 12 months ago against Liverpool and marked it with a goal.
LW: Harvey Barnes – Namechecked by Klopp ahead of Sunday’s match as an example of the “really good business” that Newcastle have done this summer.
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