Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson expected to be fit for the Liverpool clash
According to Liverpool Echo, Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson is expected to be fit for the game against Liverpool on Saturday evening.
The England international, who scored the opening goal for the Magpies in the draw against West Ham United two weeks ago, missed the game against his former club Bournemouth last week.
In Wilson’s absence, Alexander Isak led the line against the Cherries. Eddie Howe’s men will continue to miss Bruno Guimaraes for the Liverpool game as it is the third game of a three-match suspension due to the red card he got in the Carabao Cup game against Southampton.
While revealing that he was almost fit to play some part in the last game, here’s what Wilson said when talking to the Footballer’s Football Podcast (h/t Liverpool Echo):
“I was burning inside to go back there, to a club that has been so good to me. But then in training I felt some tightness.
“That can happen when you’re working hard. We’d worked hard in previous games and we train hard too, similar to how we play. I can’t take any risks any more.
“Too often I’ve been 80% fit, declared myself available to play and then ended up pulling up with something after 20 minutes. I’m not going to cross that bridge again.”
When we look at it from Liverpool’s viewpoint, the absence of Guimaraes will benefit them to try and dominate the midfield area in the game. With how well the Reds midfield played against Everton, Jurgen Klopp would be expecting something similar on Saturday.
We are currently nine points behind fourth-placed Newcastle with a game in hand. So, if we beat the Magpies at the weekend, we could cut the gap to six points, still with that game in hand.
Hence, despite all the doom and gloom this season, this game offers an opportunity for Klopp’s men to win and continue to build momentum ahead of the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid.
Newcastle are flying at the moment and are in line to make top four this season, with Wilson’s seven goals and three assists in 20 games across competitions playing a role in that. His expected presence in the game will only strengthen the Magpies. We are not the favorites going into this game for sure.
More Liverpool News:
- Liverpool send scouts to watch Sporting Lisbon defender Goncalo Inacio
- British agent Haydn Dodge confirms Liverpool are interested in Mason Mount
- Liverpool told to showcase defensive nous against Newcastle United
This is a crucial few days for Liverpool to make sure this season doesn’t end in the next few weeks. The key is to stay alive in the race to finish in the top four while trying to go as deep as possible in Europe.
