Team News: Liverpool receive double boost ahead of Newcastle United clash | OneFootball

Team News: Liverpool vs Newcastle United

When Liverpool welcome Newcastle United to Anfield for an 8pm GMT kick off, the conversation naturally drifts towards availability rather than aesthetics. Arne Slot’s side are riding the momentum of a 6-0 midweek win over Qarabag, while Eddie Howe’s Magpies arrive fresh from a hard earned 1-1 draw away to Paris Saint Germain. With league points on the line and both squads stretched, Team News becomes more than a footnote, it is a genuine factor in how this contest might unfold.

Liverpool will be buoyed by the return of Curtis Jones and Ibrahima Konate. Jones had missed the Qarabag match due to illness, while Konate had been away for personal reasons, but both are back in the fold. Slot confirmed the double boost with his usual matter of fact clarity, saying: “Ibou trained with us yesterday and trains with us today and will be in the squad tomorrow. Curtis is again available. He was sick, as I said, but he is available.” That kind of reinforcement in midfield and defence matters when Newcastle bring their trademark intensity.

Photo: IMAGO

Liverpool injury updates and likely shape

Not everything is rosy for the hosts. Jeremie Frimpong is sidelined after sustaining a muscle issue early in that Qarabag rout, and Joe Gomez remains unavailable following the problem he picked up at Bournemouth. Slot offered a measured update, noting: “He will definitely not be in the squad tomorrow, so he is out for a few weeks. But it’s not as bad as we thought he would be out. It’s something positive from something not so positive. Joe will not be available but that doesn’t have to take much longer anymore, but he will not be available for the weekend.”

Elsewhere, Liverpool’s long term absentees continue to be Conor Bradley, Alexander Isak, Giovanni Leoni, Stefan Bajcetic and Jayden Danns. Slot was candid about Isak’s slow road back from December surgery: “He’s not even on the pitch yet. I think it’s called a walker, he’s just out of his walker, so that tells you that he’s not on the pitch and not expecting him on the pitch today or tomorrow in terms of his recovery work. That’s going to take a while before he’s back, as we knew.” It means Slot will once again rely on the attacking mix that dazzled in midweek, with Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Hugo Ekitike all in line to feature.

Newcastle United fitness concerns

Newcastle United arrive with their own selection headaches. Captain Bruno Guimaraes remains a doubt after missing last weekend’s defeat to Aston Villa and only managing very light training since. Howe summed up the uncertainty, saying: “It’s slightly unknown at the moment. He did really well to be with us in Paris, that was down to the fact he was desperate to support the players. He did very, very light training. He trained with us yesterday but that was more of a test so we’ll see how he is today. This will be where we decide for Saturday.”

Definite absentees include Joelinton, Tino Livramento and Fabian Schar, while Emil Krafth has not featured since November. That leaves Newcastle looking a little thin in key areas, particularly against a Liverpool side that presses with such relentlessness under Slot.