Wirtz vs. Woltemade – who will make their mark on the game?
Florian Wirtz and Nick Woltemade will face each other on the pitch for the first time in the Premier League on Saturday evening. The duel between the two German internationals is naturally the focus of attention ahead of Liverpool FC’s clash with Newcastle United. The former Leverkusen player in particular could make his mark on this extremely important game for both sides.
After all, the 22-year-old is in strong form, scoring five goals for the Reds in his last nine competitive games and playing a key role in the Slot XI losing only one match with Wirtz on the pitch since the beginning of November – last week’s 3-2 defeat in Bournemouth. The odds for a Wirtz goal in the 24th PL matchday between Liverpool and Newcastle are over 4.00.
Despite the aforementioned defeat against Bournemouth, the reigning PL champions are considered favorites in this match. However, this assessment by bookmakers with a German license is primarily due to the visitors’ poor away form. The Magpies have recorded a meager 11 points from ten league games on the road, failing to score in six of those ten matches and ranking twelfth in the away table with one of the most harmless away attacks (ten goals).
To make matters worse, Eddie Howe’s team, which missed out on direct qualification for the Champions League round of 16 with a 1-1 draw at Paris St. Germain on Wednesday, has recently failed to score in two consecutive league games. This is one of the reasons why I recommend betting on the double chance 1X with a maximum of three goals in the game between Liverpool and Newcastle.
My third approach would even be to predict a home win between Liverpool and Newcastle. Although LFC has now gone five (!) matches without a win (0-4-1) in the English top flight and has not scored more than two goals in any home game since the first matchday, LFC was in impressive form on Wednesday in its 6-0 win over Qarabag.
Apart from that, NUFC is one of the Reds’ favorite opponents. NUFC is currently sixth in the table, well below their own expectations, but still three points and three places ahead of their upcoming opponents.
Liverpool – Newcastle Head-to-head record / H2H balance
Newcastle United have not won a single one of their last 29 PL appearances in Liverpool. They have only managed five draws and suffered 25 defeats. Overall, the pendulum clearly swings in favor of LFC, who have not lost to NUFC in 18 league games. However, the last few encounters have mostly been very competitive and particularly dramatic. The Reds won the first leg at St. James Park 3-2, for example. Rio Ngumoha, who was only 16 at the time, scored the winning goal in the tenth (!) minute of stoppage time after Liverpool had squandered a 2-0 lead.
Liverpool – Newcastle Tip
Saturday evening in the Premier League brings an exciting clash. Florian Wirtz and his Liverpool FC take on Nick Woltemade and Newcastle United. Both teams would definitely have imagined the Premier League season differently. But the reality is that the sixth-placed team, which has failed to win five consecutive league games, faces the ninth-placed team, which has failed to score in two consecutive PL games and has not won any of its last 29 PL away games at Anfield Road.
Given LFC’s many disappointing performances this season, I’m foregoing the 1X2 market for my main tip and instead going for the double chance 1X and under 3.5 goals.
