Liverpool could snatch a victory in their Capital One Cup match the other day against Swansea after it looked like the match was heading for extra time. Dejan Lovren scored a late winner and gave the chance for Liverpool to get back some confidence. More importantly Mario Balotelli scored for Liverpool and that was reason enough for them to celebrate as the Italian had really struggled to find the goals. This week Liverpool play against Newcastle United, who just got the better out of Manchester City in their Cup match and are now on a roll having won back to back fixtures.
Liverpool would not find it easy against Alan Pardew’s men and must be at the top of their game if they are to get the maximum out of the game. We provide the predicted lineup for the game.
Simon Mignolet- The Belgian keeper was replaced for the Cup match as Brad Jones came into the team. Although he has not been at the best of his touch this season, Mignolet is expected to be in the team this weekend.
Javier Manquillo- The youngster has replaced Glen Johnson from the first team and the trend is set to continue this week as well. He should be in the team ahead of the error prone Englishman.
Dejan Lovren- His late goal brought smiles to the Liverpool faces the other night and now the fans would like to believe that he takes some inspiration from that game and makes an impact in the defence.
Martin Skrtel- Lovren’s partner in the defence. He will be in the squad irrespective of his form as Sakho is still out injured and Liverpool are not full of options.
Alberto Moreno- Jose Enrique made the start in the Cup match, but Moreno should be back in the team for this game. The Spaniard has been decent till now and he would want to improve his performance.
Steven Gerrard- The captain should be back playing deep in this match as we may expect Emre Can to sit out for this match. Gerrard was out of the team in the midweek and should be relatively fresh.
Jordan Henderson- Henderson was the skipper for Liverpool in the Cup game and the team did win the match under his stewardship. He should be the ideal partner for Gerrard in the central midfield.
Adam Lallana- The former Southampton player has displayed plenty of energy so far in the games he has come on. Although he has been inconsistent in his performance, Lallana has shown early promise and should turn out to be good for Liverpool.
Philippe Coutinho- The Brazilian has not started in this season, but has made some impacts in a few games as a sub. This maybe the time when Brendan Rodgers would think of starting him.
Raheem Sterling- There have been issues of fatigue for Sterling and thus Rodgers dropped him against Swansea. But the youngster should be back in the team after some much needed break.
Mario Balotelli- The Italian scored the equalizer the other day and that should boost his confidence. Now he needs a Premier League goal against his name to make the fans get behind him.
