Eddie Howe has said Newcastle must be ‘near perfect’ to earn a result from the club’s trip to face Liverpool on Monday evening.
Newcastle travel to face Liverpool on New Year’s Day looking to end a wretched run of form. The Magpies have lost six of their last seven games in all competitions, following a 3-1 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.
Newcastle also have a poor recent record in this fixture, having failed to win in the last 14 encounters between the sides. The Toon have not won at Anfield in the Premier League for almost 30 years, with their last league win at the ground coming in April 1994.
Howe admits his team will need to be near perfection to take three points against the Premier League leaders.
“We’ve had a couple of painful games against Liverpool but the positives from both of those games is that we’ve performed really well and we were competitive,” Howe said at his pre-match press conference.
“We need to be near perfect in this game. The challenge for us is to find our best form and mentally be very strong.”
Newcastle’s clash with Liverpool is followed by a tough schedule that will see the Magpies face Sunderland in an FA Cup Tyne-Wear Derby, before Premier League games with Manchester City and Aston Villa. Howe insisted his out-of-form team is not daunted by their upcoming run.
“We have tough games coming up but they’re games we relish. We’re not daunted by it, we will attack it and give it our best shot. Recent results have been a challenge for us and the last couple of performances haven’t been as good as they can be so we’re determined to get back and produce our best football.”
