MatchLiverpool v Newcastle United: Team news
Alexis Mac Allister could be available for Liverpool’s clash with Newcastle United at Anfield on New Year’s Day.
The Argentina international has not featured since the win over Sheffield United on December 6, but he was part of training on Friday and therefore may come into contention for a place in Jürgen Klopp’s squad for the visit of the Magpies.
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Watch on YouTubeKlopp is, however, without a number of other senior players due to injury, with the manager revealing in his pre-match press conference Andy Robertson is still some way away from a return following shoulder surgery.
“Robbo still needs more range in his shoulder,” said the boss “Obviously it was a big surgery. [He is] still not even close to team training or whatever.
“[He] can do a lot, everything without using the arm properly, which is obviously good but on the other side shows us we still have a long way to go. For sure, I think, the full January he has to get closer and closer.”
Klopp also updated on the fitness of Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic, both of whom have been absent for most of the campaign so far.
“I think Thiago will be at one point in team training [in January],” he said. “With Stefan, if you ask Stefan how he feels, he says ‘good’. ‘Could you train?’ Yes, he could. It’s just we have to be sensible. That’s how it is.
“Thiago is in a very good moment as well but we just have to make sure we don’t use him then too early. The hip thing in and around that area is just a long-term thing as well.
“There were for sure days where he could have easily trained but it’s all about how can he be back then in the long term, and that’s what we are working on.”
Klopp is also without Kostas Tsimikas, who suffered a broken collarbone in the draw with Arsenal, Joel Matip, who is sidelined after an ACL rupture, and Ben Doak (knee).
Alisson Becker can bring up the landmark of 250 Liverpool appearances on Monday night.
As for Newcastle, manager Eddie Howe is assessing captain Jamaal Lascelles for the trip to Anfield after he missed the Boxing Day defeat by Nottingham Forest. “We don’t think it’s serious and we hope he’ll be back fairly soon,” said Howe.
The Magpies are, though, without eight senior players for the Premier League game on Merseyside.
Nick Pope is absent with a shoulder injury, Harvey Barnes and Joe Willock have suffered setbacks in their recoveries from foot and Achilles injuries respectively, while Matt Targett, Elliot Anderson, Jacob Murphy and former Liverpool defender Javier Manquillo are all sidelined. Sandro Tonali is suspended.
Looking ahead to the fixture, Howe said on Friday: “There’ve been a couple of painful games against Liverpool, for sure – the game last season at Anfield was particularly tough for us. This season wasn’t any easier.
“I think the positive thing in both of those games is we performed really well and were competitive, and gave Liverpool a really good game.
“I think, for us, we need to be near-perfect in this game. I think this is a really tough game for us. They’ve performed really well at home especially, they’re consistent, a really good team.
“So for us, the challenge is that we need to re-find our best form and we need to be mentally very strong.”
Last match
Burnley 0-2 Liverpool (December 26): Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Gomez, Elliott, Endo, Gravenberch, Salah, Gakpo, Nunez.
Newcastle 1-3 Nottingham Forest (December 26): Dubravka, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn, Miley, Guimaraes, Longstaff, Gordon, Almiron, Isak.