BBC pundit and former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson has predicted a comfortable win for the Reds this weekend when they welcome Newcastle United to Anfield on Saturday lunchtime.
Jurgen Klopp’s side head into the match desperate for the points after a rollercoaster of a week in which the club joined a breakaway European Super League only to quit with their tail firmly between their legs 48 hours later.
On the field, this clash has huge European connotations of its own with an opportunity to move inside the Premier League top four ahead of rivals West Ham and Chelsea meeting later on.
Lawrenson, who played 356 times for the club during his playing career, has preempted three points for his old side with a 2-0 win in his BBC Sport prediciton column.
Liverpool played really well in the first half against Leeds on Monday and should have scored more than the one goal they managed. In the second half, though, they were really poor and could have conceded a lot more than one. That is a worry, even if you factor in how good Leeds are, so the Reds will need to find some consistency to take the three points here.
Newcastle have managed to pull themselves clear of immediate relegation danger in the last few weeks, further buoyed by a 3-2 victory over West Ham last weekend.
In the build-up Klopp has confirmed Nat Phillips will remain sidelined with a hamstring problem, however, Diogo Jota is fit and available having seemingly missed training on Thursday.
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Klopp won’t care how the points come between now and the end of the season, as proved to be the case last time out at Anfield when a late Trent Alexander-Arnold strike was enough to separate themselves and Aston Villa.
The visitors’ recent form could remove some pressure and in turn, allow Liverpool to impart their own game plan on their opponents – something they have struggled to do at Anfield against sides in the bottom half of the table previously.