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Liverpool host Newcastle without Arne Slot in the dugout – so John Heitinga will instead lead the Reds as they look to boost their cushion at the top of the Premier League table.

Both Slot and assistant coach Sipke Hulshoff will be suspended for two games after the furore that erupted following the recent Merseyside derby draw against Everton.

2 were each shown red after confronting referee Michael Oliver at Goodison Park, where the Toffees scored in the 98th minute to salvage a share of the spoils.

That means assistant first-team coach and former Everton defender Heitinga will be thrust into the spotlight as the Reds look to follow up Sunday's 2-0 win at Manchester City.

Slot and Hulshoff will be available for Liverpool's Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain, but Heitinga will also manage the team for the league clash against Southampton on March 8.

It won't be Heitinga's first experience as a manager given he briefly took over as boss at boyhood club Ajax in 2023 – but it will be his most significant.

We did play together in the Euros in 2004, and that's when my sister and him first met up, and they've been together ever since."

The pair were once Premier League opponents, but only for two seasons as Zenden joined Sunderland shortly prior to his retirement.

The 41-year-old made 140 appearances for derby rivals Everton over the course of four-and-a-half years, during which time the Toffees never finished below eighth in the Premier League.

It was in January 2014 that the Dutchman eventually called time on his Goodison Park career after rejecting a contract extension.

"Most of the qualification games for the World Cup 2014 I was playing, but I was in a situation with Everton that I didn’t extend, I didn’t sign a new contract.

"That’s one thing that I regret, it was better for me to sign a new deal with Everton.
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