Liverpool vs Newcastle United preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Liverpool will hope to push another step closer to the Premier League table when they welcome top-four chasing Newcastle United to Anfield on February 26th.

The Merseyside club have arguably been Europe’s most in-form team this season, suffering just three defeats across all competitions. In the Premier League, their only loss remains the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield.

They have dominated the league in every other aspect, boasting the most wins (17), the joint-fewest draws (5)—level with Nottingham Forest—the highest goal tally (56), and the fewest goals conceded (21).

Recent seasons have shown that sitting atop the table guarantees nothing until the final whistle of the campaign, as teams—including Liverpool—have squandered seven-point leads to lose the title so fans with Liverpool tickets won’t be taking anything for granted.

However, this Liverpool side appears different, and their performances against high-calibre opposition in both domestic and European competitions suggest they will not face accusations of ‘bottling’ the title.

Following back-to-back draws with Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, they have responded with three consecutive Premier League victories, overcoming Brentford, Ipswich Town, and Bournemouth.

Ahead of their Newcastle showdown at Anfield, they still have tough fixtures against Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa, and Manchester City.

Slot will aim to extend Liverpool’s remarkable 16-game unbeaten streak against Newcastle, with the reverse fixture at St. James’ Park ending in a thrilling 3-3 draw.

It was one of the season’s most exhilarating matches, featuring five second-half goals, including Fabian Schär’s dramatic 90th-minute equaliser to ensure the points were shared.

Newcastle are also enjoying an impressive 2024-25 campaign, sitting sixth in the Premier League ahead of Saturday’s clash and securing a place in the EFL Cup final after a 4-0 aggregate victory over Arsenal in the semi-finals.

The Magpies endured a difficult start, registering just five wins from their opening 15 league matches, alongside five defeats and five draws.

However, a 4-0 thrashing of Leicester City ignited a significant upturn in form for Eddie Howe’s men, winning 12 of their next 14 fixtures, which included an impressive nine-game winning streak.

Following a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Bournemouth at St. James’ Park on January 18, they bounced back with a 3-1 away victory over bottom-placed Southampton, with Alexander Isak netting a brace to become the first Newcastle player to score in five consecutive Premier League away games while taking his league goal tally to 17 for the season.

Eddie Howe praised his squad’s response after falling behind at St Mary’s. Only Manchester City (17) have earned more Premier League points from losing positions than Newcastle (15) this term, with the Magpies now securing four wins after conceding first—matching their highest tally in a single campaign since 2002-03.

Across their last eight matches, no team has accumulated more Premier League points than Newcastle (21).

However, their strong form suffered another setback in their most recent league outing, losing 2-1 at home to Fulham, as substitute Rodrigo Muniz netted a late winner.

Failing to capitalise on a chance to break into the top four, Newcastle managed just one shot on target in the second half, suffering back-to-back home defeats following their prior loss to Bournemouth.

They will now attempt to end their 16-game winless streak against a rampant Liverpool at Anfield on February 26.

Liverpool vs Newcastle United match details

• Date: Wednesday, February 26th, 2025
• Location: Liverpool, England
• Venue: Anfield Stadium
• Kickoff time: 8:15pm GMT
• Tickets: Liverpool vs Newcastle United tickets are available to purchase through the club websites. You can also use trusted online resellers such as Seatsnet.com.

Match stats and head-to-head

• Mohamed Salah has contributed to 21 Premier League away goals this season—one more involvement will set a new record for the most in a single campaign.

• The last two matches between these sides produced 12 goals, with Liverpool edging Newcastle 7-5 on aggregate (3-3 and 4-2, both in the Premier League).

• Newcastle have failed to win any of their last 16 Premier League games against Liverpool, suffering six defeats in their last seven meetings.

• Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 19 Premier League games, winning 14 and recording five draws.

• The Magpies have won six consecutive away matches in the Premier League.

• Liverpool have been the dominant side whenever these two sides meet and have not lost a game against the Magpies since December 2015.

Team news

Arne Slot is expected to make 10 changes from the side that suffered defeat to bottom-of-the-table Championship side Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup. The Dutch manager will likely revert to the same starting lineup that thrashed Tottenham 4-0 in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg on Thursday.

Luis Díaz was the only player who kept his place but failed to impress, though he is set to retain his spot. Meanwhile, Diogo Jota, Harvey Elliott, and Federico Chiesa are all expected to drop out.

The likes of Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, and Virgil van Dijk did not even make the trip to Plymouth, but they are set to return.

Trent Alexander-Arnold missed the shock to The Pilgrims at Home Park and is hopeful of recovering in time for the clash against Newcastle. However, his availability remains uncertain.

Tyler Morton is ruled out after Arne Slot confirmed that the England U21 midfielder will be sidelined for “four weeks or more” due to a shoulder injury.

Conor Bradley was also absent against Plymouth, leading to James McConnell filling in at right-back. If both Bradley and Alexander-Arnold remain unavailable, Joe Gomez could be called upon to cover the position.

Eddie Howe welcomed Callum Wilson back to the squad after the 32-year-old recovered from a hamstring injury to feature in the starting lineup against Birmingham.

With Isak’s strong form, it appears he’ll play second fiddle to the Swedish striker as he continues to build his match fitness.

One cap England international Harvey Barnes has not recovered from his muscle injury at the time of writing and could miss the trip to Merseyside if he doesn’t recover in time.

Miguel Almiron sealed a permanent transfer to Major League Soccer side Atlanta United, ending his six-year spell at Newcastle.

Jamal Lascelles remains the club’s longest absentee with an anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in March last year.

Following an 11-game absence due to a knee injury, Nick Pope remained on the bench in the victory over Southampton before earning a start against Birmingham City in the FA Cup. Howe must now decide whether to reinstate him as the first-choice goalkeeper or stick with Martin Dúbravka.

Another selection dilemma for Howe is whether to bring Sven Botman back into the defence at the expense of either Fabian Schär or Dan Burn, though the midfield and attack are likely to remain unchanged.

Predicted starting line-ups

Liverpool predicted starting lineup:

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Diaz.

Newcastle United predicted starting lineup:

Dubravka; Livramento, Botman, Schar, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Gordon

Prediction

These fixtures have been some of the most entertaining and high-scoring Premier League games in recent seasons.

From Darwin Nunez’s inspired 2-1 comeback win last season to the thrilling 3-3 draw at St. James Park this season that saw five second-half goals, the clashes between these two sides have been box office.

However, Liverpool have been the dominant side whenever these two sides meet and have not lost a game against the Magpies since December 2015.

On the other hand, Newcastle are chasing a top-four finish and can’t afford to drop any points as Manchester City and Bournemouth are closely following behind.

It’ll be another tough clash, and the Magpies can’t be written off having shown their capabilities against Arsenal.

We’re predicting a 2-1 win for Liverpool.