Last time Liverpool and Newcastle United met, it ended up being yet another wild classic involving these two teams. In August, Liverpool won 3-2 thanks to a late, late goal from Rio Ngumoha but since then, both sides have had to endure difficult results in the league.

Liverpool are currently sixth while Newcastle are three places below. Both will push to gain some winning momentum in a crucial period in the league.

Coming into the match on Saturday, Liverpool aim to replicate their UEFA Champions League form as they eased to a 6-0 win over Qarabag, which saw them finish third and qualified directly for the last 16.

Newcastle also played well against reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain, earning a deserved 1-1 draw in the midweek fixture, though it was not enough to avoid the two-legged playoff.

Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s game.

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How to watch:

The match will be shown on TNT Sports 1 in the U.K., NBC Sports in the U.S., JioHotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN’s live updates.

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Key Details:

Kick-off time: Saturday, Jan. 31 at 8:00 p.m. GMT (3:00 p.m. ET; 1:30 a.m. IST, Sunday and 6:00 a.m. AEST, Sunday)
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
Referee: Simon Hooper
VAR: Craig Pawson

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Injury and Team News:

Liverpool

Alexander Isak, F: ankle, OUT, est. return late March
Jeremie Frimpong, D: groin, OUT, est. return March
Joe Gomez, D: rib, DOUBT
Conor Bradley, D: knee, OUT for the season
Giovanni Leoni, D: knee, OUT for the season
Stefan Bajcetic, M: hamstring, OUT, est. return unknown

Newcastle United

Emil Krafth, D: knee, OUT, est. return early Feb.
Fabian Schär, D: ankle, OUT, est. return mid April.
Jamaal Lascelles, D: fitness, DOUBT
Valentino Livramento, D: hamstring, OUT, est. return early March.
Joelinton, M: thigh, DOUBT.

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Talking Points

More concerns for Liverpool after latest Frimpong setback

One more name has been added to Liverpool’s long list of injured players. Jeremie Frimpong was on the pitch for less than five minutes against Qarabag when he was replaced due to what looked like a groin injury.

Arne Slot has said that the defender could be out for ‘a period of time’ although they will have to wait to get more details.

It’s a big setback for Slot as Liverpool’s options at right-back are now limited to just one name in Calvin Ramsay, who has played zero minutes in the Premier League, with Conor Bradley out for the season and Joe Gomez also a major doubt.

Although Wataru Endo, a holding midfielder, did well in the position against Qarabag, whether Slot will start against a much-tougher opponent in Newcastle United is the big question ahead of their match.

Another option could be playing Dominik Szoboszlai as right-back but taking out arguably the team’s best player this season from his usual midfield position could backfire big time.

Liverpool’s defense has been a huge area of concern, especially in the Premier League.

Even Virgil van Dijk has been guilty of making errors while Ibrahima Konaté’s form also took a nosedive. And then the constant change at right-back has not helped their cause at all.

Salah’s goal signals return to form?

Mohamed Salah did not score in the previous eight games for the club, with his last strike coming in November, before he departed to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Since his return, he has been putting himself about but unable to get his name on the scoresheet.

It changed against Qarabag where he finally ended that drought, before celebrating by tapping the club’s badge.

The Anfield crowd loved it, sang his song, showing him how much they adore him for his terrific contributions over the years.

One goal and one good performance against Qarabag may or may not change things for Salah in the Premier League but it is undeniable he still has a big role to play with the club.

Even while his club form faltered, he scored and assisted for Egypt in AFCON.

These are some testing times for the club who are in a race to secure top four while competing in two other big tournaments. If the season has to end with some sort of success for Liverpool, a lot will depend on their club legend.

Newcastle suffer from lack of creativity

Like Liverpool, Newcastle’s Premier League run has been a struggle. They are currently ninth, having won nine of the 23 matches, while losing eight and drawing six. One of their major issues has been their lack of creativity in the final third.

Newcastle are heavily dependent on Bruno Guimarães, and when he doesn’t play or has an off game, it directly affects the team.

Anthony Gordon’s dip in form this season also has not helped them, while Jacob Ramsey hasn’t been as impactful as Eddie Howe would’ve hoped since his move from Aston Villa.

Guimarães missed Newcastle’s last match against Villa and the result was a 2-0 loss.

Even Howe was clear on who the most important player on the pitch is for Newcastle: “You lose a lot when a player like that isn’t available,” he said after the defeat to Villa.

“But we can’t rely on one player. We do have to find a way of winning without him. I just thought we missed Bruno’s forward thinking. He always wants to pass forward and is always looking for a creative pass. You could see we missed that today.”

Guimarães was on the bench against PSG but didn’t feature. The match didn’t end in a defeat but Howe must find ways to infuse more energy and creativity.

Newcastle should take confidence from PSG game

Newcastle’s draw against PSG resulted in them missing the top eight but in terms of performance, it was much better from the Premier League side.

The team showed character and resilience against the reigning European champions, earning a well-deserving draw thanks to Joe Willock‘s equaliser.

Willock scored his first goal in close to a year as he repaid the faith shown by his manager by giving him a starting place. PSG came hard in the second half with the scores level at 1-1 but failed to break down Newcastle’s defence.

So often this season, Newcastle have crumbled under pressure and their away form needs improvement. Howe will be glad they stood up against one of the best sides in the world.

The team will hope to show something similar against Liverpool at Anfield, usually, matches involving these two teams are a goal-fest. and Howe will want to make it tougher for the home side and get a much-needed win.

Will there be any new additions to both teams?

Both Liverpool and Newcastle spent considerable money doing the transfer business last summer. With the way their season is going, both teams need further additions but it’s unlikely to happen in this window.

Liverpool do need defensive upgrades in their squad. Their failure to sign Marc Guéhi last summer is proving to be costly as they struggle with defensive mistakes as well as injuries.

Even with the latest injury to Frimpong, reports indicate Liverpool are unlikely to get anybody. At the moment, there are not many players on offer who could be instant upgrades.

Similarly, Newcastle will also look to address the transfer business in the summer. They do need to strengthen their defence and midfield but Howe has spoken about not having the right options to consider for moves in January.