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Posts Tagged ‘saturday’

• Hosts do not have undersoil heating at Bloomfield Road
• Liverpool’s game against Fulham on Saturday stopped by snow

Having had their home game against Fulham postponed on Saturday because of heavy snow, there is a chance Liverpool’s Boxing Day’s match at Blackpool could also fall victim to the elements.

Blackpool do not have undersoil heating at their Bloomfield Road stadium and have already had two matches postponed because of adverse weather – last Saturday’s visit of Tottenham Hotspur and the Manchester United game earlier this month.

“We can almost certainly guarantee the pitch will be playable but it is the prevailing conditions once the covers have been removed and whether the pitch will freeze before the end of the game taking place,” the Blackpool chairman, Karl Oyston, told Sky Sports News. “That is one we are talking to the Premier League about to see what their standpoint and inspection protocol will be.”

Meanwhile, tomorrow’s FA Cup second-round replay between Lincoln City and Hereford United has been postponed due to a frozen pitch. No new date has been confirmed.

LiverpoolBlackpoolguardian.co.uk

Another Saturday, another new manager at St James’ Park. By peculiar coincidence a last gasp defeat against Liverpool in the 2006 FA Cup final marked a watershed in Alan Pardew’s managerial career, the moment things started going horribly wrong. Then in charge of a defeated West Ham side, Pardew was seen as a rising star before hitting a dramatic downward trajectory that would later take him to Charlton and Southampton. No one knows whether this represents the start of Pardew’s road to redemption but Liverpool will trust the home supporters, horrified by Chris Hughton’s sacking remain mutinous and the players numb. Louise Taylor

Venue St James’ Park, Saturday 5.30pm

Tickets £35-45 (0844 372 1892)

Last season n/a

Referee Lee Mason

This season’s matches 7 Y30, R3, 4.71 cards per game

Odds Newcastle 14-5 Liverpool 11-10 Draw 5-2

Newcastle

Subs from Harper, Soderberg, Perch, Kadar, Guthrie, Smith, Routledge, Lovenkrands, Ranger, Xisco

Doubtful Barton (groin), Guthrie (ankle), Harper (shoulder), Nolan (ankle)

Injured Gosling (knee, 1 Jan), R Taylor (ankle, Feb), Ben Arfa (broken leg, Apr)

Suspended Coloccini (last of three), Williamson (last of three)

Form guide LDLDLW

Disciplinary record Y38 R1

Leading scorer Carroll 9

Liverpool

Subs from Jones, Cole, Poulsen, Kelly, Shelvey, Jovanovic, Aurélio, Pacheco, Babel, Wilson, Hansen

Doubtful None

Injured Gerrard (hamstring, 18 Dec), Agger (calf, 26 Dec), Spearing (ankle, 29 Dec), Carragher (shoulder, Feb),

Suspended None

Form guide WLWLDW

Disciplinary record Y25 R2

Leading scorer Torres 5

Match pointers

• Newcastle have made 32 substitutions, fewer than any other side in the division

• Liverpool have won seven of their last eight league games against Newcastle, scoring 22 goals and conceding just four times

• Alan Smith has the quickest booking by a substitute this season – 1min and 26sec after coming on against West Brom

• Liverpool have not won a top flight match after going behind since a 3-2 victory over Bolton in August 2009

• This is the third time that Newcastle’s manager has been the first in the Premier League to depart – no other club has been faced with the same situation more than twice

Premier LeagueNewcastle UnitedLiverpoolguardian.co.uk

• Kuyt could be named in Saturday’s squad to face Sunderland
• Forward picked up shoulder injury on international duty

Liverpool have been boosted by the news that Dirk Kuyt could return earlier than expected from injury.

The 30-year-old damaged shoulder ligaments during the last international break, with the Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson fearing he would be out for more than a month.

However, Hodgson now believes the Dutch forward could be selected in Saturday’s squad to face Sunderland, or feature in next week’s Europa League trip to Kuyt’s former club Utrecht.

“Dirk has trained the last couple of days,” said Hodgson. “We’re trying to protect him a little bit but he’s made a remarkable recovery, so it’ll be interesting to see how he progresses on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in relation to Saturday’s game and the game next Thursday.”

He added: “We thought three to five weeks, so we’re at the quick end of the scale.”

Liverpoolguardian.co.uk