It is Newcastle v Liverpool up next.
St James’ Park under the lights, a 7.30pm kick-off on Wednesday night.
Taking away the hysteria, what is most likely to happen in this Newcastle v Liverpool match?
Who can we trust to give an impartial objective view?
Liverpool fans? No!
Newcastle United fans? Certainly not!
Especially when it comes to those NUFC supporters who are seeing this as a crisis. Four defeats in sixteen matches this season so far, three wins and a draw in the last five Newcastle games.
So back to the question then, who can give that impartial view?
Well, I wouldn’t exactly say I ‘trust’ any bookies in a general sense, however, when it comes to purely looking at a sporting contest, then you can trust them to make their very best judgment on the most likely outcome(s).
As all they are interested in, is unsurprisingly, making as much money as possible.
So they are very very careful on how they set their odds. Emotion and hysteria don’t come into it. Only cold hard facts.
So how are the bookies calling Newcastle v Liverpool.
The general prices available are:
3/1 Newcastle to win
3/1 The draw
5/6 Liverpool to win
Almost a toss of the coin then, as to whether Liverpool win, or Newcastle get a point or better.
Liverpool only marginally seen by the bookies as more likely to come out on top, than not.
I think some Newcastle fans will be stunned by this, as they are acting/talking like Liverpool have to just turn up and collect the three points.
The scousers are on a great run but they are not suddenly the unbeatables, they are the exact same players/team they had last season, when finishing a distance behind Man City and Arsenal. Indeed, the overwhelming number of their team/squad are exactly the same as the ones who finished behind Newcastle United 18 months ago in the Premier League.
Players (and managers) aren’t machines, even the very best.
Just look at Pep Guardiola!
Manchester City hadn’t lost a Premier League match for 11 months, playing 32 winning 26, drawing six, losing not a single one. Now they have just followed that by losing four PL games in a row!
If you think Newcastle’s up and down form is difficult to comprehend this season, how do you come to terms with what we are seeing at the Etihad?
Liverpool are currently in the groove, playing well, plus also getting all the luck, decisions and fine margins going.
Will Newcastle United be the ones to stop them (as Forest have already done at Anfield this season…)?
I am not saying it will happen tonight BUT as the bookies make clear, it would NOT be a massive shock if it did happen, if Eddie Howe’s side got a point or better.
At St James’ Park this season, Newcastle United have already won against Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, plus drawn with Man City (before they became rubbish!).
Only ten days ago, a Southampton side who have looked woeful and are rock bottom, looking relegation certainties. After starting well, they gifted Liverpool an opening goal but then came back to lead 2-1 and were looking relatively comfortable midway through the second half. Only to throw a win away when conceding a poor goal, then with only seven minutes remaining the Saints threw away a draw when giving away a very bad penalty.
If the Newcastle United players AND fans are up for this, then NUFC are more than capable of getting something.