It will be a tale of two attacks when Newcastle United face Liverpool on Monday night.
That is the view of Chris Sutton, who has predicted Newcastle United vs Liverpool ahead of the clash at St James’ Park.
The atmosphere will be intense on Tyneside, with the Alexander Isak situation creating an incredible subplot to what should be an electric 90 minutes of football.
But that is where the problem lies for Eddie Howe. With Isak set to be absent again, Newcastle United are without a senior striker. Will Osula is not trusted, while a new signing has not arrived.
That means Anthony Gordon will likely play up front again, which is a worry for Sutton.
Anthony Gordon claps the Newcastle United fans after drawing with Aston Villa.
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Chris Sutton backs Liverpool to beat Newcastle United
As part of his predictions for BBC Sport, Sutton has given his verdict on what the score will be between Newcastle United and Liverpool on Monday night.
Given the Magpies’ striker situation, Sutton has backed the Reds to return to Merseyside with all three points.
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“This match was going to be intense anyway, but the Alexander Isak transfer saga has ramped it up a notch,” he said.
“There’s going to be an edge to this one and honestly anything could happen.
“Newcastle go into this game hampered by the fact they don’t have a number nine. Isak hasn’t covered himself. Newcastle were brilliant against Villa but guess what, they missed a centre-forward.
“A lot has been made about Liverpool’s defence, they conceded a couple of soft ones against Bournemouth so there’ll be a worry there. But then you look at Liverpool’s attack and you think, blimey.
“Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike, who had a blinder of a debut and Newcastle wanted to sign. Funnily enough, had Newcastle got Ekitike then Isak would probably be at Liverpool.
“There’ll be goals in this. Neither of these sides take a backwards step. I veer towards Liverpool solely because Newcastle don’t have a centre-forward. But, are they still capable of scoring goals? Absolutely.”
Sutton’s prediction: Newcastle United 1 Liverpool 2.
Anthony Gordon’s record for Newcastle United against Liverpool
As Sutton says, Newcastle will not have an out-and-out striker against Liverpool. Instead, it will be Anthony Gordon leading the line.
That might concern some, but Gordon sees himself becoming a striker in the future. He has the kind of attributes to thrive through the middle and hurt Liverpool, while his record against the Reds is pretty decent since moving to Newcastle.
The 24-year-old has played against Liverpool five times in a Newcastle United shirt, scoring two goals and providing one assist.
His three goal contributions in five games is not something to be sniffed at, and he will hope to add to that tally on Monday night.
A lot has been said about Gordon’s ability as a striker, and he will be keen to silence some critics against the club he nearly joined last summer.