At least one well-known Newcastle supporter will be cheering them on when they face Liverpool on Saturday.
Neither side comes into this weekend’s match in great form, with both teams looking to bounce back after recent defeats in the Premier League.
The two clubs are only three points apart, and a rare win for Newcastle at Anfield would move them above Liverpool in the table.
The last time these sides met was a memorable one, with Liverpool securing a late 3-2 win at St James’ Park thanks to Rio Ngumoha’s first Premier League goal. Newcastle had gone down to 10 men early on but still put up a strong fight, earning praise from Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos for their resilience.
Kroos signed up as an official Newcastle member following that loss, but ahead of this weekend’s game he revealed that his son has started supporting Liverpool instead.
Toni Kroos’ son now a keen Liverpool supporter
Liverpool fans don’t have fond memories of Toni Kroos, who twice got the better of them in Champions League finals during his time at Real Madrid.
But the German recently shared that his son has become a keen Liverpool fan, perhaps giving Reds supporters something to smile about.
Kroos spoke about it on his Einfach mal Luppen podcast, saying: “The next game is Liverpool against our Newcastle United, where we’re [Kroos and his brother] of course still Gold members. And I’m really looking forward to it. So I checked which games are happening this weekend and I saw Liverpool vs. Newcastle.
“I’ll tell you one thing: it’s going to be a world-class atmosphere here at home, because Leon (his son) has really become a big Liverpool fan now.”
“Yeah. He’s got the Wirtz jersey now, and of course I won’t sit next to him; I’ll be wearing my Dan Burn jersey. Saturday evening is going to be a war – an in-house battle.”
Can Liverpool leave Kroos disappointed but his son smiling?
The past few meetings between these two sides have been closely contested, with little to separate them on the pitch.
Still, Liverpool have usually had the edge at Anfield, a ground where Newcastle haven’t claimed a win since 1994.
That said, Liverpool’s home form has dipped this season. So if ever there was a time for Newcastle to end their 32-year drought, it might be now.
But with the game under the lights and Liverpool coming off a confidence-boosting win in midweek, they’ll be hoping to find their rhythm again in front of their own fans.
This will be Arne Slot’s first taste of this fixture as manager. And his side will want to keep Kroos frustrated while giving his son something to cheer about back home.
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