Jurgen Klopp has admitted that it will be 'brutal' for Liverpool to face Newcastle United on Saturday even if the title chasers will 'enjoy' an intense run of fixtures after failing to get the game put back.
Liverpool play Villarreal in the first-leg of their Champions League semi-final tie on Wednesday night before travelling to St James' Park to take on Eddie Howe's resurgent side three days later. Liverpool had wanted more recovery time and further hours to prepare for the game on Tyneside and Klopp even previously went as far as to say that 'if you want to cause us problems, you send us to 12.30 at Newcastle'.
However, the game will still go ahead at 12.30pm after the Premier League rejected the Reds' appeal to move it to a later time. It will be the ninth game Liverpool have played this month as Klopp attempts to win a historic quadruple.
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Ninth-placed Newcastle may be as good as safe, but the Magpies certainly won't make it easy for Liverpool and Howe has already warned both the Reds and upcoming opponents Man City that 'we will be committed to try and win every fixture'. Although Klopp is just focused on Liverpool's next game, the German will already know that the Reds will have to be at their very best to defeat a Newcastle side who have won six matches in a row at St James'.
"We are just really focusing on the next game and that's not that complicated because the challenges are massive that we are facing," Klopp told Sky Sports ahead of Liverpool's 2-0 win in the Merseyside derby on Sunday. "We play Everton with their own needs and targets and stuff like this. It was never an easy game and it will not be an easy game and all these kind of night things.
"After that, we sleep twice and play Villarreal and then it's Newcastle. It's brutal but it's fine. It's the best situation you can have and that's why we enjoy it as well, but not with the big things in our minds. Just go for the next one and try to play the best football you can."
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