(Cricket news) Liverpool have had a torrid season so far but now they have a very important period coming up. They have a Champions League Round of 16 tie against Real Madrid but before that they have a fixture against Newcastle. Liverpool have struggled for consistency this season as they haven’t won back to back games since December last year. Newcastle on the other hand are also in a little bit of a pickle. Since the World Cup they have won 2 and drawn 5 games in the Premier League but the positive is that they haven’t lost any games and are 4th on the table.

Liverpool still have quite a few injury issues as Ibrahima Konate, Luis Diaz, Calvin Ramsay and Thiago Alcantara are unavailable. Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino returned against and even got some minutes while Virgil van Dijk was also on the bench. Jurgen Klopp has already confirmed that Van Dijk is fit enough to start against Madrid but he might be on the bench in this game. Newcastle will be missing Javier Manquillo, Emil Krafth and Matt Targett through injuries while Bruno Guimaraes is suspended. Joe Willock, Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron were forced off in the match against Bournemouth. The trio could still make it to the squad while Callum Wilson and Jamaal Lascelles could also come back.

Newcastle have been pretty solid defensively this season but scoring has been a little bit of an issue. As for Liverpool Mohamad Salah and Cody Gakpo got back into some form at the right time as they both scored against Everton. The Merseyside club desperately need some consistency as they are still 9th on the table. They also need some momentum and consistency going into the match against Real Madrid which will be a big one.

Also read: Real Madrid set to renew Brahim Diaz’s contract till 2027