Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal are all in Premier League action today as they play Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United respectively. Arne Slot could win his 19th match in charge of the Reds and has named his side at St James' Park.
Alisson Becker isn't ready to return yet so Caoimhin Kelleher starts in goal, with a back four of Joe Gomez, Jarell Quansah, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson. Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is on the bench, is the only other senior defender who is fit at the moment, so academy talent Amara Nallo is in the matchday squad.
In midfield, Curtis Jones comes into the starting XI in place of Dominik Szoboszlai. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister make up the rest of the central trio in a strong-looking midfield department.
Darwin Nunez lines up in the Liverpool forward line while Mohamed Salah is on the right and Cody Gakpo, who scored against Real Madrid and Manchester City last week, is on the left. Luis Diaz is among the substitutes.
Liverpool could maintain or even extend its lead at the top of the Premier League table by winning at St James' Park. And a key part of the reason for the Reds being in such good form is their defensive record.
"You tell me we've got the best defense because we've conceded less goals [than other teams]," Slot insisted during his pre-match press conference. "That doesn't mean we only have the best defence, it means that we have 11 players that work really, really hard not to concede a goal.
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"I agree with you that our last line has impressed this season — maybe the season before as well but this season a lot. Every time they have to defend they are there, as well as our goalkeeper. If in another line we would have had this amount of injuries, it would have worried me as well, especially because we've got nine games coming up in this month."
Newcastle starting XI: Pope; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Bruno Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Gordon. Subs: Dubravka, Wilson, Barnes, Targett, Osula, Almiron, Kelly, Willock, Longstaff.
Liverpool starting XI: Kelleher; Gomez, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo. Subs: Jaros, Nallo, Alexander-Arnold, Endo, Nyoni, Elliott, Szoboszlai, Morton, Diaz.