Newcastle v Liverpool team news: Salah and Alexander-Arnold benched

The day’s Premier League action gets underway at St James’ Park this lunchtime as title-chasing Liverpool attempt to keep up the pressure on league leaders Manchester City.

Kick-off on Tyneside is at 12:30 BST.

There hasn’t been a ball kicked yet but Gameweek 35 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) has got off to a deflating start for many of us, as Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold – the two most-owned players in the top 10k – both find themselves among the substitutes for the visitors.

Salah is the most-captained player of Gameweek 35 both overall and within the top 10,000, with over 40% of the leading managers handing him the armband:

The premium pair are among five players who drop out of Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI from the Champions League win over Villarreal in midweek.

Also making way are Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara and Ibrahima Konate, with James Milner, Naby Keita, Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota and Joel Matip taking their places.

There are three changes for Newcastle from the side that beat Norwich 3-0 last time out.

First-team regulars Fabian Schar, Jonjo Shelvey and Miguel Almirón, who were all rested off the back of a three-game week, come back into the starting XI.

Sean Longstaff, Jamaal Lascelles and Jacob Murphy drop to the bench.

Chris Wood also has to content himself with a substitute’s role once again, with Eddie Howe presumably tasking one of Joelinton or Allan Saint-Maximin with leading the line against the Reds.

GAMEWEEK 35 LINE-UPS

Newcastle United XI: Dubravka, Krafth, Schar, Burn, Targett, Bruno Guimaraes, Shelvey, Willock, Almiron, Joelinton, Saint-Maximin.

Subs: Dummett, Lascelles, Ritchie, Manquillo, Wood, Murphy, Darlow, Gayle, Longstaff.

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Gomez, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson, Milner, Henderson, Keita, Jota, Mane, Diaz.

Subs: Fabinho, Konate, Thiago, Salah, Jones, Tsimikas, Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Elliott.

GET IN-GAME DATA AT LIVE FPL

Check your own rank and in-play FPL stats on LiveFPL.net every Gameweek