Liverpool vs Newcastle United 26/12/18

26 December 2018

Liverpool welcome Newcastle United to Anfield looking to extend their seven-game Premier League winning streak.

The current Premier League leaders come into this encounter after a comfortable 2-0 road victory over Wolverhampton last weekend, which was the fourth straight league meeting in which they’ve managed a minimum of two goals per match. With just seven goals conceded in 18 league outings, the Reds hold the best defensive record in the English top flight, with Alisson Becker keeping a clean sheet 11 times so far. What’s more, the Merseysiders are the only team in the English top-tier competition that is yet to concede more than one goal per match this season. Residing the only unbeaten side in the Premier League, Jurgen Klopp’s men have racked up a four-game road winning run, with only Tottenham (9) securing more road wins than Liverpool (8) this campaign.

On the other hand, the Magpies have managed to raise their game following a nightmarish league start, collecting 14 points (W4, D2, L2) in their last eight Premier League clashes. However, Newcastle’s struggle for consistency has seen them suffering two league defeats in their previous five outings, with Rafael Benitez’s men securing just one win in the process. Goals have been in short supply in all of their eight road encounters this season, with 62% of Newcastle’s away matches producing under 2.5 goals. Furthermore, the Magpies have scored one goal or less on seven out of eight road trips this campaign, while conceding more than one goal per match just twice in the process.