During the week, Liverpool beat Azerbaijan Qarabag 6-0 at Anfield in the last round of the regular season of the Champions League very smoothly – also thanks to Dominik Szoboszlai’s goal assist – and thus reached the round of 16 in a straight line.
Photo: MI NEWS / NurPhoto
Arne Slot‘s team will face a much more difficult task this time, as Newcastle United will visit Anfield in the late Saturday evening match of the 24th round of the Premier League. The ninth-placed Magpies’ away record is not very bright, but in August they almost made a joke of the title from a two-goal deficit, and even defeated the Reds 2-1 in the final of the League Cup last year, who are still aiming for their first victory in the English football championship in 2026.
Szoboszlai starts, but again in the Liverpool defense
Milos Kerkez missed Wednesday’s BL match, but the left back of the Hungarian national team was included in the starting team this time. Just like Szoboszlai, whose appearance could not have been a question, being Liverpool’s best for many weeks. The captain of the Hungarian national team, who won the Hungarian Ballon d’Or for the fifth time in his career, recorded three goals and two assists in his last five matches, and overall he is 8/7 this season. So it’s no coincidence that Liverpool’s lineup is practically unimaginable without him.
However, Arne Slot once again counted on Szoboszla as a forced solution. Jeremie Frimpong was already injured at the beginning of the midweek cup match, and since the team’s other full-back, Conor Bradley, underwent knee surgery not long ago, there was no available right-back. Since the 25-year-old Hungarian midfielder has been forced to play on the right side of the defense several times during the season – and he has probably given a great performance – the Dutch coach has again “ranked him back”.
Liverpool starting line-up:
Alisson – Szoboszlai, Konaté, Van Dijk, Kerkez – Gravenberch, Mac Allister – Szalah, Wirtz, Gakpo – Ekitiké.
