This weekend, a familiar face returns to Anfield as Rafa Benitez brings his Newcastle side to face Liverpool.

The Reds drew the reverse tie 1-1 earlier this season, whilst Newcastle got themselves a 2-2 draw on their last league visit to Anfield, so Jurgen Klopp will be aware that it won’t be an easy game.

To get the lowdown on the Magpies ahead of the big match, I spoke to Lee Ryder, the Chief Sports Writer of The Chronicle.

Here’s what Lee had to say:

1. Newcastle are unbeaten in four league games, a run which includes a win over Manchester United. What’s the general mood like around the club as we enter this late stage of the season?

Nobody on Tyneside thinks that Newcastle are safe by any stretch, so it’s not one of total optimism. It could have been different had United not thrown away a 2-0 lead at Bournemouth because it felt like they were pushing closer to safety and the Liverpool game would have had less pressure around it. Newcastle are limping towards safety at the moment and you can feel the tension around the city.


2. Rafa Benitez played very defensively when Newcastle faced Manchester City recently, can we expect to see similar tactics this weekend?

He won’t go all out attack that’s for sure. But Newcastle showed they could at least give the the bigger sides a game in the recent win over Man United and for spells in both games against Man City. They also went a goal up at Chelsea before Christmas so I don’t think they will automatically be looking to park the bus. I think it will be a mixed bag and while United will be organised, they will look to hit Liverpool on the break.

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3. Liverpool’s attack has been blowing teams away as of late, do you think Newcastle’s defence has enough to stop them?

Look, if Man City struggled to deal with it, what chance do the rest of us have! We’ll be looking for Liverpool to have an off day and Newcastle will need their best performance of the season – and that’s just to nick a point!


4. Dwight Gayle has been a thorn in Liverpool’s side in the past, how’s he done this season and can we expect him to start on Saturday evening?

Gayle has just hit some form as it turns out and his two goals against Bournemouth were his first in the last 14 games. If he gets the chances he is a true number nine, with a bit of luck he will remember his glory days against Liverpool and continue that great form. He will be starting, providing he’s suffered no setbacks in training with a slight hamstring issue.


5. It seems like Rafa Benitez is in a similar situation up at Newcastle as the one he faced at Liverpool; very popular with supporters but fighting a battle with ownership. How do you see that whole situation playing out this summer?

I’ll be honest with you, there are no guarantees he will stay if what’s happened in the last three windows happens again. Rafa has found it extremely difficult to get deals done quickly and bring in the players he wants and some slow reactions from his board haven’t helped. Part of me feels like we are just one good job offer away from Rafa calling it a day at Newcastle, but the one thing that seems to be keeping him here is the bond he’s got with the fan-base. A takeover may change that and he will stay but the current board will need to up their game in the transfer market for him to continue.

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6. Finally, care to make a prediction?

Hopefully Liverpool do have that off day and we can salvage a 1-1 draw!


Thanks to Lee for taking the time to answer our questions.