St. James‘ Park will turn into a cauldron of animosity when Newcastle host Liverpool for an eagerly anticipated Premier League game on Monday.
Liverpool infuriated the Newcastle fans by making a lowball offer for star striker Alexander Isak earlier this month. The Newcastle board swiftly rejected the bid, but Isak has now gone on strike after accusing the club of “breaking promises.”
The Swedish striker has not featured for Newcastle this season, and he won’t be in the squad for this game. Fans of Newcastle and Liverpool have been sniping at each other on social media, stirring up intense hostility between the clubs.
That will reach a crescendo when the teams lock horns on the pitch at St. James’ Park on Monday. The atmosphere inside the stadium should be electric, and it promises to be an intense game, featuring lots of ferocious tackles.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 25. Liverpool are +100 favorites (risk $100 to win $100) on the 90-minute money line in the latest Newcastle vs. Liverpool odds, while Newcastle are the +230 underdogs. A draw has odds of +280, and the over/under for total goals scored is 3.5 (Over +132, Under -170). Before locking in any Newcastle vs. Liverpool picks, you need to see what SportsLine’s Martin Green has to say. New users at bet365 can get $150 in bonus bets instantly with the latest bet365 bonus code and take advantage of one of the best sportsbook promos:
After working in the sports betting industry for several years, Green became a professional sports writer and handicapper and has covered the game worldwide. Last year, Green was profitable in multiple areas on his soccer betting picks, including Euro qualifying (+6.30 units), EFL Cup (+4.47), FA Cup (+3.07) and Champions League (+3.05), among others. Anyone who follows him could be way up.
Here are Green’s best bets for Newcastle vs. Liverpool on Monday:
- Liverpool to win +100 (0.5 units)
- Newcastle to receive Over 2.5 cards +110 (0.5 units)
- Hugo Ekitiké to score +180 (0.25 units)
Liverpool to win, Newcastle to receive Over 2.5 cards
This should have been an exciting summer for Newcastle supporters. Their team won the EFL Cup last season—the club’s first trophy since 1969—and followed it up by qualifying for the Champions League.
However, it quickly turned into a disaster. The club missed out on several transfer targets: Liam Delap and João Pedro chose Chelsea instead of Newcastle, Hugo Ekitiké preferred to move to Liverpool, and James Trafford spurned Newcastle’s approach in favor of Manchester City.
The Magpies suffered more humiliation when Slovenian striker Benjamin Seško chose to move to Manchester United instead of Newcastle. That was a major blow, as Man Utd finished 15th in the Premier League table last season, and they aren’t playing in Europe this year.
Missing out on Delap, Pedro, Ekitiké, and Seško means that Newcastle have started the season without a recognized striker. Veteran Callum Wilson left the club this summer, and Isak has refused to play for Newcastle again after claiming that “trust is lost.” Isak took the Premier League by storm last season, firing in 23 goals in 34 games. It’s easy to
see why Liverpool are so keen to sign him, but the sorry saga has left Newcastle with a major conundrum.
It’s hard to hold onto a player that’s hell-bent on leaving, even if he is under contract until 2028, and the episode risks unsettling the other players. However, Newcastle have struggled to buy a replacement. They really need two strikers to replace Isak and Wilson, but no elite forwards appear keen on moving to Tyneside. Winger Anthony Gordon was deployed as a makeshift striker on the opening weekend, but Newcastle looked a little toothless in attack in their 0-0 draw with Aston Villa.
Hugo Ekitiké to score
There are no such concerns for Liverpool. They tied star forward Mohamed Salah down to a new contract in April, and he went on to finish the season as the EPL’s top scorer, with 29 goals.
Diogo Jota tragically died this summer, and Luis Díaz moved to Bayern Munich. However, the Reds signed Ekitiké and German superstar Florian Wirtz to bolster their attack. The Premier League champions looked very dangerous in their 4-2 victory over Bournemouth on the opening weekend. The Reds’ defense was sloppy, but it remains to be seen whether Newcastle can exploit that weakness, given their attacking woes.
Ekitiké has made a superb start to his Liverpool career, scoring in the Community Shield and the 4-2 win against Bournemouth. The players are still adapting to Wirtz, but the early signs are promising.
These teams played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at St. James’ Park last season, with Isak opening the scoring. Liverpool then beat the Magpies 2-0 at Anfield, but Newcastle gained revenge with a shock 2-1 victory over Newcastle in the EFL Cup final.
That was surprising, but Liverpool haven’t lost a league game to Newcastle since 2015. They will be on the receiving end of some bone-crunching tackles on Monday, and we could see plenty of yellow cards, but the Reds should ultimately have enough quality to get a result in this game.
Want more soccer picks for Monday, August 25?
You’ve seen Martin Green’s best bets for Newcastle vs. Liverpool. Now, get picks for every game from the experts who are tuned into professional soccer leagues all over the world.
