2pts Newcastle over 4.5 corners at 10/11 (General)
It's a surprise to see Newcastle as high as 11th in the Premier League table because it doesn't *feel* like they win a huge amount of games.
Just two of the last nine for Eddie Howe's men have seen maximum returns but, to be fair, one of those was against Arsenal at home. Despite that, their previous two performances have been particularly poor.
They were completely outplayed the last time they featured in front of their own supporters, with an inconsistent West Ham side (frankly, nobody can work out what the hell they are this season) not only winning 2-0 but doing so in a game that ended like a training exercise.
They followed up that showing of opposition keep-ball by registering just two shots in a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace at the weekend. Quite remarkable really that an equaliser in the dying seconds denied them the win.
"We have some quality on the pitch as well" 💪
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 1, 2024
Liverpool boss Arne Slot reacts to his sides crucial win over Man City ✅ pic.twitter.com/Vl3bADFImA
Enter Liverpool, the established best side in the Premier League by far so far. Nine points clear at the top after taking apart defending champions Manchester City last time out, confidence will be sky-high.
The contrasting form makes the price on an away win certainly eye-catching.
Is it going too well though? My logic when teams are on strong, long runs - Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 16 with 15 of those wins - is that eventually it does have to come to an end.
But creativity has evaded Newcastle. Howe's side haven't been able to get close to the attacking output they've seen in recent seasons.
I touch more on it in the Notebook column which you can read here but the underlying numbers highlight the drop off - it's not simply a case of strikers being unavailable through injury.
Newcastle's average of 2.03 expected goals (xG) per game was the fourth-best in the 23/24 Premier League. This season it's 1.40 - that puts them 12th in this metric.
The likelihood of the away side leading does open up value elsewhere though and I'd have confidence in the 10/11 on NEWCASTLE OVER 4.5 CORNERS. That's a price available with multiple bookmakers.
Liverpool have a good element of controlling the game when they need to but their opponents will inevitably see chances to try and score. This is a team that loves to use their width as much as they can.
That has, unsurprisingly, led to corners, with an average of 6.15 per game so far. Game state is always important in this market yet style plays a significant part too.
Southampton took three in Liverpool's last away game with Brighton seeing six in the Carabao Cup. Leipzig had five in the Champions League - opponents are seeing opportunities.
Newcastle have continued to take corners in recent weeks despite their poor run. They come into this on the back of nine against Palace and eight against West Ham in their last home game.
The five line is low enough for me to want involvement.
The big news for Newcastle will surround forward Alexander Isak after he was forced off through injury in their draw at Palace.
It led to transfer talk about the January window, although Howe dismissed the possibility by telling his press conference: "Fully fit Premier League strikers who can score goals will cost us an extortionate amount of money that we don’t have."
Defensive trio Sven Botman, Emil Krafth and Jamaal Lascelles all remain absent.
For Liverpool, Ibrahima Konaté is still out until the new year while Conor Bradley is also not fit enough to start - Trent Alexander-Arnold will continue at right-back.
Forwards Federico Chiesa and Diogo Jota are unavailable and goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher will continue in place of the injured Alisson Becker.
Newcastle XI: Pope; Livramento, Schär, Burn, Hall; Tonali, Guimarães, Joelinton; Gordon, Wilson, Barnes.
Liverpool XI: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo.
Odds correct at 1530 GMT (02/12/24)
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.