Liverpool take on Newcastle United at Anfield this weekend in a big Premier League clash.
Here are five key battles which will determine the match.
Daniel Agger v Papiss Cisse
Daniel Agger is the quickest central defender that Liverpool have at their disposal, he needs to match the pace of Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse who will most likely play on the very shoulder of the Liverpool defence. If Agger can stay the right side of Cisse and stop himself from being pulled out of position then he is good enough to keep the Newcastle front man quiet for 90 minutes.
Martin Skrtel v Demba Ba
Demba Ba is one of the bigger strikers at Newcastle and he will carry a big physical presence throughout the game. Anyone who has watched Liverpool in recent times will be aware that Martin Skrtel is not the prettiest defender to watch play but he is effective. Newcastle will try and play the ball long to Ba or feed it into him when they are under pressure. If Skrtel can regularly compete for the ball and intercept it, he will help Liverpool to maintain that pressure.
Steven Gerrard v Yohan Cabaye
This is not a direct battle between two players because they have different roles but it’s a key leadership battle. Steven Gerrard is the Liverpool captain and likes to lead from the front in every match he plays. Yohan Cabaye puts himself about in the Newcastle midfield so expect to see him fly into a couple of challenges early on. If Cabaye gets stuck in and the rest of the Newcastle side follows him then the away team have enough to bully their way to three points.
Raheem Sterling v Danny Simpson
Sterling played in more of an advanced attacking role against Everton which didn’t seem to work, his best position for Liverpool is out on the left. This is the area of the Newcastle team that Danny Simpson has to try and protect. His best chances of keeping Sterling quiet are if he can force the winger to play down to the corner flag. Sterling has shown how good he is cutting inside and linking attacking play but his out and out wide play still needs work.
Luis Suarez v Fabricio Coloccini
Once again Luis Suarez will have to lead the Liverpool attack due to the lack of strikers at the club. Coloccini is the Newcastle captain and key defender so he will task himself with keeping Suarez under wraps throughout the match. If Suarez can dictate the play by dropping off, nipping in behind and physically having the edge over the Argentine defender then there is only going to be one winner in this match up.
image: © Sanjiva
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