Newcastle United Fan View: Magpies face a tough task at Liverpool

As the season is starting to reach the critical final two-month rundown for teams at each end of the table, Newcastle United are sitting in 15th place, still just a couple of points away from the bottom three, but also just a few extra points away from the top half.

Unfortunately for Newcastle, despite going unbeaten in the league in February, the games are few and far between at the moment with the FA Cup and international breaks. Any momentum taken from recent league matches is lost as we have at least a full week between games; thanks in no part to our dire cup record, but as Swansea and Brighton continue to fight in the FA Cup, could our usual early exit be a blessing in disguise this time round?

What the break does bring is a chance to re-group, a chance to recuperate and a chance to get Islam Slimani fit. Thankfully, the Algerian’s injury should be cleared up by the time we face Huddersfield on March 31, but sadly for the new signing, and us fans, the next game will be against his parent club, Leicester City, a match which he will be ineligible to play in.

READ MORE: Liverpool v Newcastle: Three key battles

READ MORE: Rafa fears lack of experience could relegate Newcastle

This weekend we face Liverpool away and we follow up that match with a home tie a week later against Southampton. Unfortunately for us, following the crucial Saints game we have a THREE-WEEK break when we have no matches scheduled, before facing Huddersfield at the end of March, yet another must-win game at home.

I have to confess though, I have already written off our chances at Liverpool. The Reds are playing well right now and scoring goals for fun. They have Mo Salah, perhaps the second-best striker in the league behind Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and, in all honesty, I can not see any other outcome than a heavy defeat.

There have been some classic Liverpool v Newcastle matches at Anfield over the years; sadly not many going our way, but we have grabbed some draws and I can guarantee every single Newcastle United fan in the country would take a drab 0-0 tomorrow. Granted, we snatched a draw against Liverpool at home earlier in the season, but Liverpool are a different animal now. The team have clicked, they are playing with confidence and whilst they are still prone to a strange result, they are the in-form side alongside Manchester City.

That being said, whilst I do not expect us to get anything from the game, we have shown we can defend well and minimise the impact on our goal difference in games like these. Jamie Carragher may have called our performances against Manchester City this season embarrassing, but out of all the teams in the bottom half, we have the second-best goal difference (-11), second only to Bournemouth (-10) and level with Brighton. Believe me, goal difference will come in to it this season, Rafa knows what he is doing.

Unfortunately for us, whilst a defeat is expected in Merseyside, Southampton and Swansea, the sides that sit just two points behind us, have “winnable” games this weekend, so we could well be sitting in the bottom three come Saturday evening.

Both sides play before our scheduled Saturday evening game, further adding to the already nervous side. For me, though, the match tomorrow should be quickly forgotten, we’re as good as playing a side in a league above us, I am not expecting anything at all and the focus should quickly move on to the home game against fellow strugglers Southampton.

In my league predictor I had us down to lose at home to Manchester United and away at Bournemouth, so to take four points from those two games has already put us higher than I expected to be. I did, however, say we would beat Southampton, Huddersfield and West Brom at home, and I expect those nine points should see us safe. Whatever happens it is going to be tight, but I am not going to lose much sleep if things don’t go well at Anfield.