Chris Waugh has admitted on the latest episode of Pod on the Tyne that he expects Newcastle United’s match on Saturday to be fascinating.
The last team to beat Newcastle United at St James’ Park was Manchester City back on 19th December when the Magpies were humbled 4-0, and since then, they have gone on a very impressive eight-game unbeaten run at home, taking points off the likes of Manchester United, Leicester City and Wolves.
Can Newcastle beat Liverpool on Saturday?
Yes!
No!
However, they will likely be set to face their toughest tests since that Man City defeat on Saturday when they welcome Liverpool to Tyneside, with the Reds coming off the back of a Champions League clash against Villarreal.
With the quick turnaround for Liverpool and Newcastle’s impressive run of form, Waugh is very excited for the match.
He said: “They struggled against Man City in December, but we’re four months on, they’re so much more defensively solid. There were nervy moments for Liverpool against Everton, who haven’t been as defensively solid as Newcastle. They did frustrate them at times, and so I think this is a fascinating match, absolutely fascinating.”
TIF Thoughts on Newcastle’s upcoming match…
We can see why Waugh believes the result is not a foregone conclusion despite the clear gulf between the clubs.
It really will be a test of where Newcastle United are under Eddie Howe as they’ve recently beaten Leicester City and Wolves – one team in the semi-final of a European competition and another pushing to qualify for Europe next season.
While many supporters will know that taking on Liverpool at their own game and getting a positive result will certainly not be the best way to go about it, as Everton showed last week, the Reds can be frustrated and leave gaps at the back to be exposed as Anthony Gordon did, which is something Allan Saint-Maximin may thrive off with his ability to dribble and progress the ball up the pitch (FBRef).
In other news: ‘Just as the takeover happened’ – Caulkin reveals PIF wanted 62 y/o to be NUFC boss before Howe