Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe admits his side must show great mental fortitude to stand a chance against Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield.
Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the table to 11 points on Sunday with a crucial victory over Manchester City. Less than 24 hours earlier, Arsenal’s home defeat to West Ham further strengthened Liverpool’s grip on the title race.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have been dominant at Anfield this season, winning nine of their 12 home games and losing just once.
Their strong form makes them overwhelming favourites against Newcastle, who moved up to fifth place with a win over Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
However, Newcastle’s away form has been inconsistent, and they were heavily beaten in their last trip on the road, suffering a humbling defeat at Manchester City.
Howe is aware of the challenge his team faces but insists they will approach the game with belief.
“Liverpool’s record at Anfield this season has been very strong. We have to be mentally very strong in this game.
“It’ll have to be close to a perfect game from our perspective.
“We need every aspect of our game to be functioning as it was in the first half against Nottingham Forest, albeit we conceded the first goal, that apart I thought we responded really, really well.
“We were free flowing, we were dynamic, flexible in terms of our tactical play. We showed no fear and we attacked the game and scored four great goals.”
