Rafa Benítez likes to list the very real similarities between the cities of Liverpool and Newcastle and their respective football clubs. He relishes the hallmark, often razor‑sharp humour common to both sets of supporters, appreciates the broad socioeconomic parallels and understands shared fears that their teams are in peril of turning into perennial also-rans.
If such worries are markedly more pronounced on Tyneside, it is approaching six years since Liverpool last won a trophy – the 2012 League Cup, under Kenny Dalglish. Accordingly their supporters head to St James’ Park for Sunday’s meeting with Benítez’s Newcastle United anxious about the balance of Jürgen Klopp’s often thrillingly attacking yet defensively vulnerable side. With memories of Liverpool’s 1980s hegemony increasingly distant, the days when the Spaniard lifted four trophies – most notably the 2005 Champions League – at Anfield are now a source of nostalgia.
Related: Joselu hands Newcastle point with lucky strike to punish wasteful Liverpool
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