Newcastle United predicted starting XI vs Liverpool as Sven Botman & Joelinton decisions set to be made

Newcastle United could welcome back Sven Botman and Joelinton for tonight’s clash against Premier League leaders Liverpool.

The Magpies have been without both players since the beginning of February but are close to a return, according to head coach Eddie Howe.

“Sven's improving and he's improving quickly, so we'll see whether he makes the game or not,” Howe said. “He'll be close.

“Again with Joe, similar to Sven, really improving, doing really well, pushing and again he's another player that will be quite close.

“I think Joe's always important from a number of perspectives and certainly defensively and defending set plays are two of those key aspects that we've missed when he's not there.

“He brings a physicality and a strength that when he's missing. There's an obvious presence missing in our midfield. Joey's a massive player for us, we hope to get him fit very soon.”

Having both or either player available would leave Howe with a decision to make in regards to his starting XI. Newcastle visit Anfield having not won there in 30 years.

“I think we need close to a perfect game from our perspective,” said Howe. “Certainly, I think learning from the recent game against Manchester City would be a useful starting point for us where we didn't execute the aggressive game plan that we wanted.

“We didn't attack enough. For me, we didn't attack the game well enough, so we need to learn from that. At Anfield, which is a really great environment to play football, but not a great environment if you're not totally there. So we have to acknowledge that and make sure that we turn up.”

Here’s how Newcastle United are predicted to line-up against Liverpool: