Newcastle United-Liverpool Preview

Liverpool and Newcastle will both be desperate for an improvement in their league form when they meet at Anfield on Monday evening.

The Reds (16-6-9) have dropped to sixth place after back-to-back losses in the Premier League and are now seven points adrift of the top four. Liverpool's 13-match unbeaten run in the Premier League ended with a 2-1 home defeat by Manchester United on Mar. 22. They were then thrashed 4-1 at Arsenal last Saturday when they returned to league action following the international break.

The Merseysiders did grind out a 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday in an FA Cup sixth-round replay to set up a last-four meeting with Aston Villa at Wembley. Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho scored the winner but it was not a vintage performance by Liverpool at Ewood Park.

Reds boss Brendan Rodgers was delighted with the result at Blackburn but emphasised that nothing has been won yet.

"It's something I'm very proud of, of course, but it's a semi-final - I'll be prouder if we're leading the team out for the final," Rodgers said. "We've got important league games before that, but certainly getting to the final is something that is very much clear in our minds.

"Now we've got to get ready for our league game (against Newcastle United) and when Aston Villa comes, we'll be ready for that as well."

The Magpies (9-8-14) are now 13th in the standings, nine points above the relegation places, after losing their last four top-flight matches. To make matters worse for the Newcastle supporters, their last defeat came in the Tyne-Wear derby last Sunday when they were beaten 1-0 by arch North-East rivals Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Striker Jermain Defoe's stunning first-half volley gave the Black Cats a fourth straight derby victory over the Magpies.

Newcastle coach John Carver admits the Magpies need to end a dismal losing streak to avoid being dragged into a late season relegation dogfight.

"We have to get some points, no matter how we do it," Carver said. "There are a lot of players in that dressing room out of contract, there's a lot of players in their last season of their contract, so these last seven games will define an awful lot that goes on for everybody."

Liverpool winger Jordon Ibe returns to the squad after recovering from a knee injury, but defender Mamadou Sakho is out with a hamstring injury. Centre-back Martin Skrtel and midfielder Steven Gerrard are suspended, while striker Mario Balotelli, who missed the win at Blackburn game through illness, remains doubtful.

Newcastle full-back Daryl Janmaat is expected to be fit after calf muscle trouble, but defender Fabricio Coloccini and striker Papiss Cisse remain suspended. Midfielders Rolando Aarons (hamstring) and Siem de Jong (collapsed lung) are training again but are unlikely to feature at Anfield.

Substitute Ayoze Perez scored a second-half winner from close range to secure Newcastle a 1-0 against Liverpool in this season's reverse league fixture at St James' Park on Nov. 1.

The Reds have won 23 of the 41 Premier League matches played between the two sides. The Magpies have 10 victories, while eight matches have been drawn.

Newcastle failed to win any of their last 19 top-flight matches at Anfield, losing 16 times and drawing three. They claimed a 2-0 victory in their first Premier League match at Liverpool in 1994 and haven't won since.