Newcastle boss Eddie Howe hopes Liverpool clashes in coming years will be title deciders

NEWCASTLE: Eddie Howe hopes that in seasons to come, games between Newcastle United and Liverpool will prove to be potential title-deciders for both teams and not, as is the case this season, just one of them. The Reds travel to St. James’ Park on Saturday hoping to take another step forward in their quest for an unprecedented quadruple.

Having already bagged the Carabao Cup, Jurgen Klopp’s men are still in the hunt for the top flight title, have booked their spot in the FA Cup final and have one foot in the Champions League final after a 2-0 victory over Villarreal at Anfield in the first leg of their semifinal midweek. Newcastle’s ambitions are, for now, somewhat different. Howe was plunged into a relegation battle when he was appointed coach by the club’s new ownership late last year.

While many, including Howe himself, predicted a fight for survival until the last day of the season, the turnaround in Newcastle’s fortunes under the former Bournemouth boss has been nothing short of spectacular. Ten wins in their past 14 games has catapulted the Magpies from the prospect of a desperate fight for Premier League survival to the top half of the league and the fringes of the fight for European places. Howe is hopeful that the seasons to come for Newcastle will be filled with glory and title successes, rather than merely hopes of survival.

“Hopefully it is in the future,” he said of a potential title decider one day between his team and Klopp’s. “It’s very difficult to take yourself away from where we are right now; there’s no use or benefit in doing that. Hopefully, in the future it is something we aspire to be.