Jurgen Klopp may have just extended his stay on Merseyside after signing a new contract at the club until 2026 – but his focus will no doubt remain on Saturday’s crucial battle at St James’ Park.
While fans of the Merseyside club will be overjoyed with the news of his extension, their immediate future is far more important with the opportunity to claim the first ever quadruple only a handful of games away.
The German manager will have to pick his squad carefully as their visit to Tyneside comes just two and a half days after their Champions League clash against Villareal while they will have to travel to Spain for the second-leg only three days later.
Many of their squad have also had minimal rest so far – particularly the likes of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane who have had to compete in the African Cup of Nations mid-season with both reaching the final – so there may be opportunity for some to be benched this weekend.
Talking of Salah, some wonder if he could start on the bench on Saturday, having played 90 minutes four times in the space of 11 days leading up to this fixture.
With Liverpool still fighting to win the Champions League and the FA Cup as well as the Premier League, it will be very interesting to see what sort of side Klopp picks when the teams are released come 11.30am on Saturday morning. Even if all their star men start, there could be a few tired legs!
Despite Liverpool being on the best form in the league – unbeaten since December 28 – it has been no easy task for teams coming to St James’ Park in recent times – we are currently on our longest streak of home wins (six) since 2004 and the players will certainly be wanting to make it seven.
