Bruno Guimaraes and Alexis Mac Allister will renew hostilities when Newcastle United host Liverpool in the Premier League on Monday night.
Newcastle United vs Liverpool is an iconic Premier League game as it is but matters off the field have taken this instalment to a new level.
Indeed, Eddie Howe thinks Newcastle vs Liverpool will be “spicy”, while the likes of Anthony Gordon have suggested it will be a “wild” atmosphere at St James’ Park.
Liverpool have bullied Newcastle off the pitch this summer. They signed Toon transfer target Hugo Ekitike and have been trying to land Alexander Isak too.
Isak isn’t playing for Newcastle against Liverpool, so even if the Reds do not end up landing him, they’ve still inflicted a blow onto Howe’s side.
Guimaraes and Mac Allister will no doubt be involved in the fascinating midfield battle on Monday night. Ahead of the game, the Brazilian has delivered his verdict on the Argentine.
Bruno Guimaraes and Alexis Mac Allister battle for the ball in Liverpool vs Newcastle United.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Bruno Guimaraes speaks on Alexis Mac Allister
Asked to rank the best midfielders in the Premier League when given the options of Mac Allister, Rodri and Declan Rice, Guimaraes picked the Liverpool star third.
He told Sky Sports, after selecting Rodri as the best: ““I’ll put him [Rice] as number two, not because I don’t like Mac Allister too.
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“Mac Allister is a top player, but I’ll put him as a number three. Top player, always tough to play against him. Especially when we play Brazil vs Argentina!
“He’s a top player, he’s smart with the ball.”
Alexis Mac Allister looking to respond to Newcastle United dig
Mac Allister was the man marking Dan Burn in the Carabao Cup final.
That seemed a strange tactic at the time and certainly proved to be the case. Burn got away from the Liverpool star from a corner and headed in Newcastle’s first at Wembley, with Howe’s side later ending their long wait for a trophy with a 2-1 victory.
During the Carabao Cup celebrations on the Town Moor a few days after the final, Newcastle fans and TV stars Ant and Dec aimed a dig at Mac Allister.
They joked about the height difference in Burn and Mac Allister, with Declan Donnelly saying it was like he was marking the Newcastle defender.
Donnelly said: “Can we talk about the goal and when the ball comes over and when Mac Allister’s stood there, it’s like me marking you!”
Hopefully, Mac Allister doesn’t have the last laugh on Monday…