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Liverpool will come face-to-face with their Carabao Cup Final opponents, Newcastle United, for a Premier League clash at Anfield tonight.

Off the back of a statement victory over reigning league champions Manchester City, the Reds will be hoping to maintain or extend their eleven-point advantage, depending on how Arsenal fare away at Nottingham Forest in what is an earlier kick-off time.

When Newcastle visit Anfield, Liverpool will be facing the second most in-form player in the Premier League behind their own Mohamed Salah, in Alexander Isak.

The Swede has been a defenders nightmare all season long, and netted in the 3-3 reverse fixture between the two sides at St.

James’ Park, but Liverpool will be hoping that they can stop him at all costs.

Here, we will be discussing how Arne Slot’s team can prevent Isak from having joy in and around the penalty box, nullifying the obvious threat that he brings.

SECOND BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE

Alexander Isak is currently on course to have his greatest ever goalscoring season of his career.

In the Premier League, Isak is joint-second in the goalscoring charts alongside Manchester City’s Erling Haaland on nineteen, only bettered by the brilliance of Mohamed Salah on twenty-six, a man who just continues to break record-upon-record.

But if you want to mention his overall goalscoring record for the season, then the Swede already has twenty-one goals after thirty matches across all competitions, in February, needing just five more to break a career-best of twenty five, in considerably less matches too.

Comparisons have often been made between the goalscoring machines of Isak and Salah, but when you nature in the fact that the Newcastle man is an out-and-out centre-forward, then the numbers don’t seem that surprising.

But, for Salah, a natural-born winger, then forty-one goal contributions after just twenty-seven Premier League matches, is just absurd.

Statistically, Alexander Isak is the second best player in the Premier League this term, but his output has been overshadowed by the wizardry of Mohamed Salah.

ISAK’S RECORD VS LIVERPOOLMI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images.

Alexander Isak will be Newcastle’s main threat at Anfield tonight, meaning Liverpool must keep a close lookout.

In fact, Newcastle’s number fourteen poses a good record against the Reds during his two-and-a-half seasons in the Premier League.

Isak has featured five times versus Liverpool, being on the losing side for four of those, whilst drawing one.

The centre-forward claimed his first goal in a 2-1 defeat at Anfield in 2022, scoring the opener, and has since managed to rack up two more goals and an assist, with his latest strike coming in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

IS HE AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE?

Alexander Isak is known to be a handful to the opposition and Liverpool are next up on the list.

The Reds’ defence will need to be primed and alert at all times in an attempt to stop him from getting the ball to feet and having space to run in behind, if they manage that, then a clean sheet can begin to look very likely.

Against Manchester City, Virgil van Dijk played a key role in putting a halt to any potential pockets or half spaces that opened up for their opponents, staying glued to Phil Foden in the early stages, due to a tactical tweak from Pep Guardiola.

Arne Slot instructed his captain to push higher up the field, following every move of Foden, whilst Ibrahima Konaté managed to keep Omar Marmoush at arms length, barring the one time the Egyptian managed to sneak in-behind the Liverpool defence and score, but the flag was raised for offside.

For Isak, the instructions will be very different and the striker’s movement can be considered his most dangerous asset.

Isak has the ability to play on the last-line of the defender, any manager’s dream.

This means that the forward can always be one step ahead of the defender, anticipating when and where the ball will land.

In Isak’s case, he often deploys himself in an offside position, before waiting until the last moment to get back on and play on the shoulder.

Newcastle’s main-man also has a knack for scoring away from home this season, with ten goals, only bettered by Mohamed Salah’s sixteen.

Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté will need to stay switched on if Isak intends on attempting to drift ahead of Liverpool’s last line.

SLOT: LIVERPOOL CAN ‘CONTROL’ ISAK

Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, Arne Slot was questioned on Alexander Isak’s season so far.

He replied: “It is an understatement to say Isak is in fine form.

The more ball possession we have, the more we can control him, although he is dangerous on counter attacks.”

“We have two very good centre-backs, which is what you need when you face the quality of Alexander Isak, although, he isn’t the only threat.”

The Liverpool defenders could be set for a tough evening when Alexander Isak steps foot onto the Anfield pitch tonight.

Remaining compact and fully focused will be key in keeping the Premier League’s most in-form striker at bay.

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