Liverpool v Newcastle – Betting Preview & Tips

Liverpool host Newcastle with an outside chance of title glory. They need City to slip up v West Ham and finish off Newcastle in the process. Ciaran Bonass previews.

Selections:
Both teams to score, Liverpool to win @ 6/5
Liverpool -2 @ 23/20

Form
A total of one point from their last two games looks to have cost Liverpool dearly in their quest for the title as they followed a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Anfield with a 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace on Monday night. Their slip-up at Palace was particularly galling after they held a 3-0 lead thanks to Joe Allen, Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez with only 11 minutes to play before Damien Delaney and a brace from substitute Dwight Gayle put what looks very likely to be the final nail in the coffin for the Reds’ hopes of winning the Premier League for the first time. That result, coupled with Manchester City’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa two days later, now means that barring a sensational win by more than ten goals for Liverpool on Sunday, a draw over West Ham will be enough to secure the title for City.

Suarez took his tally of a brilliant season to 31 with that goal at Selhurst Park and one more would see him break Alan Shearer’s record of goals in a 38 game Premier League season.

A 3-0 win over Cardiff last weekend saw the Bluebirds relegated and brought an abysmal run of six losses on the trot to an end for Newcastle. Goals from Shola Ameobi, Loic Remy and Steven Taylor eased the Magpies to the spoils against their deflated opponents who were all but mathematically assured to go down even before that loss. Alan Pardew’s side have been awful since the turn of the year however, winning only five of 20 games, and their boss is under serious pressure from the Toon Army, who have made their opinions known in no uncertain terms.

14 goals in 26 league games for Remy have been one of the few bright sparks for Newcastle this season but the on-loan Frenchman’s stay on Tyneside looks set to end after this game.

Team News
Defenders Jose Enrique and Sebastien Coates are Liverpool’s only absentees through injury but boss Brendan Rodgers is expected to bring Jordan Henderson back into the starting XI.

Striker Papiss Cisse is out after he underwent surgery on a broken kneecap this week and may not even be fit in time for the new season. Sammy Ameobi, Ryan Taylor and Davide Santon will also be missing for the Magpies.

Head-to-Head
The pair played out an entertaining 2-2 draw when they met at St James’s Park earlier this season but Liverpool have a good record in this fixture in recent years with ten wins in their last 15 meetings against the Tyneside club.

Recommended Bets
It’s no surprise to see the Reds at 1/5 for a win despite their crippling run of results of late and while it would be little short of a footballing miracle should they pick up the title now they will still be looking to see out the season in style against the 11/1 outsiders.

Liverpool’s gung-ho approach has blown away many teams this season but has it’s downside as 49 goals against proves so both teams scoring in a home win looks the best bet here at 6/5. They also look a decent shout to cover the -2 handicap at 23/20 and while Suarez and Sturridge are both odds on to score a punt on Remy at 15/4 could prove a fantastic gamble.