Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers will restore a host of players after defeat to Swansea, with Steven Gerrard making his 600th appearance for the Reds. Goalkeeper Pepe Reina and defender Glen Johnson may miss out again due to hamstring injuries.
Injuries to one side, Toon boss Alan Pardew was sympathetic to Brendan Rodgers’ wider issues. He said to BBC Newcastle: “I think Brendan can deal with it. He didn’t get the tools he needed and if you’re going to create the vision he wants, you’ve got to have the tools. As I understand it, he’s a striker short. If he didn’t want the big fella (Carroll), which we know because we were involved, then he should have had a replacement.”
Liverpool have had many issues with strikers this season, with Fabio Borini injured, whilst sending Andy Carroll off on loan to West Ham.
He said: “We were both confident in our own ways, but I genuinely thought he would be a coach rather than a manager. He has a natural association with the coaching ground, and those who watch Being Liverpool would sense that, he’s sort of evolved into a manager more so. I always felt I was the other type, and I actually did think of Brendan as a coach at a few of my other clubs but he’s found his own route and fair play to him.”
