Sparks could fly between Newcastle and Liverpool this weekend

Newcastle riled Jurgen Klopp by poaching one of his top analysts and tempers flared when one of Eddie Howe’s coaches launched a bottle at the Liverpool bench in August – don’t be surprised if the red mist descends tonight with top four on the line

• Newcastle poached one of Liverpool’s analysts following their takeover in 2021
• Tempers flared between the two benches when the clubs met earlier this season
• With plenty to play for, sparks could fly at St James’ Park on Saturday evening

Newcastle and Liverpool played out two Premier League classics in the 1990s with the Reds emerging 4-3 victors on both occasions, and this weekend’s clash between the two clubs promises to be another fascinating encounter.

Despite progressing to the Carabao Cup final, Newcastle have endured a dip in form lately, drawing five of their last six top-flight matches, while Liverpool have had a bitterly disappointing campaign and find themselves playing catch-up in the race for the top four.

Both sides will get the chance to take out their frustrations on each other on Saturday, and that suits them just fine as they are not particularly fond of one another.

The tension between the two teams can be traced back to Newcastle’s takeover in October 2021 when the club were bought by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has made his feelings clear on state-sponsored clubs in football, regularly aiming digs at Manchester City for the way they have conducted their business over the years.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has criticised Newcastle for being a state-sponsored club

Eddie Howe has hit back at Klopp’s comments, and poached one of the German’s top analysts

As soon as the takeover went through on Tyneside, Klopp did not miss the opportunity to voice his opinion on the situation, claiming that the Magpies now had the money to ‘buy the league’ and guarantee themselves a top four spot. 

Newcastle then irked Klopp even more by poaching one of his top analysts, Mark Heyland, in December 2021.

Eddie Howe’s side were in a relegation battle at the time, but Heyland was still happy to leave Merseyside, offering one of the first signs that Newcastle were determined to compete with Liverpool straight away, and were not worried about stepping on their toes.

Newcastle’s fortunes dramatically changed after Heyland’s arrival, with the club enjoying a strong second half of the season to finish comfortably above the relegation zone.

Liverpool still did the double over them, though, suggesting that the growing rivalry was yet to take off on the pitch.

That changed in August. 

The two teams met at Anfield, with Newcastle unbeaten in their first four league games, whereas Liverpool had picked up just five points from a possible 12.

Newcastle went in front late in the first half through new signing Alexander Isak, and then proceeded to take time out of the game as multiple players went down injured, while the visitors were also hardly in a rush to get the ball back into play from goal-kicks and throw-ins.

Some may class it as a clever strategy, but Liverpool were far from impressed at what they perceived to be obvious time-wasting.

The Reds equalised just after the hour mark through Roberto Firmino, setting up a grandstand finish, but once again they struggled to gain any momentum as the game was halted time and time again.

Five minutes of added time were indicated at the end of the match, only for Nick Pope to go down during this period to get some treatment.

As a result, the game continued into the 98th minute when Liverpool were awarded a corner.

From the set-piece, the ball dropped to Fabio Carvalho who volleyed home from close range to spark jubilant scenes among the home supporters.

Fabio Carvalho scored a late winner for Liverpool against Newcastle at Anfield in August

The two benches clashed after Newcastle were unhappy with Liverpool’s celebrations

Klopp also clashed with Eddie Howe as he felt Newcastle were time-wasting during the game

And it was not just the fans that enjoyed the moment, as Liverpool’s bench celebrated right in front of the opposition dugout, with Darwin Nunez yelling ‘f*** you!’ in their direction.

Newcastle’s bench were angered by Liverpool’s celebrations, and a member of Howe’s backroom staff appeared to launch a water bottle towards the Liverpool dugout.

The ugly scenes led to an FA investigation, and proved beyond doubt that there was now a hostile relationship between the two clubs.

Klopp then further riled Newcastle’s hierarchy in October when he sarcastically ‘congratulated’ the club on their spending power following comments from sporting director Dan Ashworth that the Magpies have ‘no ceiling’ in terms of their future ambitions.

Howe hit back at Klopp’s response, insisting that the German’s remarks were not ‘totally accurate’ and that Ashworth’s quote had been misinterpreted.

There has certainly been plenty of back and forth off the pitch, but it should not be forgotten that Saturday’s match at St James’ Park on it could be a pivotal one for Newcastle and Liverpool.

The hosts currently occupy fourth spot, but their advantage in the race for the final Champions League spot is far from insurmountable.

With fourth place up for grabs, Saturday’s game at St James’ Park could be a feisty encounter

Liverpool are nine points behind Newcastle, yet they have the opportunity to close that gap to six, and they still have a game in hand on their rivals.

On the other hand, a win for Newcastle would leave Liverpool facing a major uphill battle to get back into top-four contention.

The first game between the teams at Anfield was a thrilling contest that was only settled with the last kick of the game. 

With everything to play for, Saturday’s return match could be even more dramatic.

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