The FA Cup final of 1974 between Liverpool and Newcastle is the reason I came to football. It was the first final I watched and I was fascinated by the emotion of both sets of fans.
Since that day, these two great clubs have made different trips. Liverpool's is not so much with trophy, Newcastle. Change that at Newcastle and Baas Eddie Howe will be a club legend.
That depends on his contact samples Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton who win the midfield trest against Liverpool. Newcastle must find a way to stop the passing game of the Reds.
Howe will want to make a fight. Guimaraes has won the most mistakes in the competition and he and Joelinton are in the top 10 for giving away. They are masters of drawing.
However, Liverpool has the best midfield this season. Ryan Gravenberch, who is deep, is the most improved player under Arne Slot, Dominik Szoboszlai is non-stop action and Alexis Mac Allister is a world cup winner who also likes to keep his foot and often gives away mistakes.
When the parties were opposite each other last month, Howe without Joelinton and Alexander Isak was due to injury, so switched from his usual 4-3-3 system to match the Liverpool setup while Anthony Gordon played through the middle and was often pushed alongside striker Callum Wilson. It didn't work. Liverpool had 12 shots to the three of Newcastle, while Howe's side did not collect any on goal. With Isak and Joelinton Fit, Howe will return to his famous system.
The absence of suspended Gordon is a big loss. His will be big boots to fill for Harvey Barnes, who looked promising in the victory over West Ham as a bit rusty. Howe could even play Joe Willock on the left. He was fantastic in the semi -final against Arsenal, instead of the suspended guimaraes, and bombed ahead with Gordon and Jacob Murphy when they attacked as a runaway train.
I expect that Liverpool is the possession of the boss boss, so how will how as much as possible want them to touch the counterattack and in Isak he has the most in-shape striker in the competition.
Isak is probably the only center Vooruit in the country that can get the run on Liverpool's Elite Center Het Combination of Virgin van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
But if the midfielders of Howe can win the ball and feed Isak, he can cut his name in Newcastle Folklore.
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