Newcastle vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League team news, line-ups and more from St. James’ Park tonight

Newcastle have lost their last six Premier League games against Liverpool, and are winless in 15 against the Reds since a 2-0 win in December 2015 (D4 L11).

Liverpool have won five of their last six away league games against Newcastle (D1), with their current streak of three their longest ever winning away run against the Magpies.

By the end, all Pep Guardiola could do was hold up six fingers. He of course meant his number of Premier League titles but his team were so inferior to Liverpool that it could refer to the number of defeats they ended up with from the last seven.

It will be the image that sums up the game, and could lead many to talk of signalling his decline as a manager. That’s where we are currently.

A narrative twist is that this was after a near-perfect vision of football, that Guardiola himself might have enthused over in other circumstances. He might even have recognised it, given how similar it seemed to his first great Barcelona team. The problem for him was that it came from Liverpool.

This will be the 163rd meeting between these two teams, with the first dating back to 1893. Overall, the Reds have won 80, with Newcastle winning 42 and 40 ending as draws.

The Magpies haven’t beaten Liverpool since 2015, with the Merseysiders winning 11 of the 15 matches since then. Last season, Jurgen Klopp’s side ran out 2-1 winners in this fixture, and won 4-2 at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp had a habit of sounding prophetic. Or he had the capacity, whether through coaching and tactical prowess or force of personality, to make some of what he said come true. But, on his way out, he made a prediction with a difference: one he could no longer influence.

“Liverpool 2.0 does not end with me,” he said in May. “It’s just the new Liverpool. It’s just the start. They can make the next steps.” Seven months later, it could have sounded like wishful thinking. Liverpool could have floundered after his exit, sliding down the standings. Or a successor might have broken his team up. The future planning Klopp did with the signings in his last three years may have seemed irrelevant if those players were then sold, dropped or performing poorly.

Instead, Arne Slot is realising Klopp’s words. Liverpool 2.0 will not get Klopp’s second Premier League title, but they may win the club’s second. They will not win the German’s second Champions League, but they may deliver the second with a team he built. “I knew Jurgen left the team in a very good place,” said Slot. He has proved it.

Arne Slot has made three changes to the side that beat City 2-0 on Sunday.

In defence, Jarell Quansah replaces Trent Alexander-Arnold, while Curtis Jones comes into midfield ahead of Dominik Szoboszlai.

In attack, Luis Diaz drops out in favour of Darwin Nunez.

Eddie Howe has made just one change to the side that drew to Palace last week. Joe Willock drops out in favour of Jacob Murphy, with the latter presumably moving up to the left wing while Joelinton comes into midfield.

Newcastle XI: Pope; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Gordon.

Subs: Dubravka, Wilson, Barnes, Targett, Osula, Almiron, Kelly, Willock, Longstaff.

Liverpool XI: Kelleher; Quansah, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Jones, Gakpo; Nunez.

Subs: Jaros; Endo, Diaz, Szoboszlai, Elliott, Nallo, Alexander-Arnold, Morton, Nyoni.

The line-ups should be announced around 6.15pm, so here’s a reminder of the early team news.

Alexander Isak is a doubt for Newcastle and will be checked after picking up a hip injury in the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace. Eddie Howe said on Tuesday that Isak had not trained, but had not suffered a long-term injury.

Liverpool will be without Ibrahima Konate, Conor Bradley, Alisson Becker and Kostas Tsimikas, while Diogo Jota is also unlikely to feature.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot joked that Mohamed Salah’s suggestion that he could have played his last game against Manchester City at Anfield was because the champions could be relegated this season due to alleged financial rule-breaking.

It was City’s sixth defeat in seven games, with the champions also facing a hearing into 115 charges of alleged financial irregularities. City deny all wrongdoing but, if found guilty, they could face a severe punishment, including the possibility of relegation.