Let's throw it back to September 2008, shall we?

Liverpool made the trip to Marseille and came away with three points thanks to two Steven Gerrard goals.

Who remembers that stunning curling effort from outside of the box?

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Rory Smith
Football Correspondent for The Observer on BBC Radio 5 Live Extra

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Slot over the last two months has built a team that is not great to watch, often extremely slow, who still look ponderous and too indecisive but they're a little bit harder to beat.

Now they're unbeaten in 12, and it's the most underwhelming unbeaten run in football history, but it is an unbeaten run. Now he gets a player back who can lift them to another level, score goals, win games and make them look really good, or does it disrupt the balance and expose Liverpool?

Ciaran Kelly
BBC Sport reporter at St James' Park

Sometimes it is easy to forget just how much has changed at Newcastle.

Eddie Howe's side are preparing to face PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League tonight, but when Sven Botman joined the club in 2022, they had not long pulled away from relegation danger.

Newcastle have since gone on to end a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy, and take a seat at Europe's top table on multiple occasions.

Botman, though, is far from satisfied: "The trophy was really nice last season," the Dutchman said.

"We definitely want to have more trophies as well as setting a goal for ourselves to be in the Champions League spots every single season.

"That's what we aim for. With the group we have, that should be what we are achieving every season."

Marseille have already put Newcastle to the sword in the Stade Velodrome this season. Will Liverpool be next?

Eddie Howe's side took the lead in that game but back came Marseille to stage a second half comeback and take the three points.

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After a slow start to life at Liverpool, Florian Wirtz is starting to show why the Reds paid £115m for his services.

The German midfielder has scored four times in 29 appearances, but those goals have come in the last six games.

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Ciaran Kelly
BBC Sport reporter at St James' Park

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It's just about stopped bucketing it down on Tyneside - and Newcastle United need St James' Park at its febrile best tonight.

Newcastle have even offered those supporters who arrive early a free drink while the Wor Flags supporters group have a huge pre-match display planned for the Gallowgate End.

It is not lost on anyone how crucial this game against PSV Eindhoven is.

“We will need another special atmosphere under the lights at St James’ Park to inspire the players,” head coach Eddie Howe writes in his programme notes.

“So please stay with us and we will do our best to reward your incredible support and create more memories.”

The stakes are high.

Newcastle have the chance to secure a play-off spot for a place in the last 16 and a positive result would also keep the club’s hopes of automatically qualifying for the knockout stages alive going into the final league phase game against Paris St-Germain next week.

But this won’t be straightforward.

PSV have not lost away from home since last March, and the Dutch champions have already hammered Liverpool and Napoli in the competition this season.

For those of you interested in what Newcastle boss Eddie Howe had to say in their pre-match news conference, here you go.

Don't say we never give you anything!

Liverpool's league form has been underwhelming to say the least. The Reds have drawn their last four games, scoring just three times.

Is it time for Arne Slot to take the shackles off?

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Chelsea striker Liam Delap says new boss Liam Rosenior will bring with him a "very exciting way of playing".

Delap played under Rosenior in the Championship on loan from Manchester City at Hull City in the 2023-24 season, a year which he believes helped him "really develop into a man".

"I think each manager has their differences," Delap said in Chelsea's pre-match news conference.

"It is going to be a very exciting way of playing. We want to be very strong on the ball and dominate games of football.

"We are all looking forward to it. Hopefully we can show the fans an exciting way of playing.

"That year at Hull I really developed into a man. I was still a kid at the time and I was trying to convert from academy to senior football. The manager helped.

"I moved to Manchester when I was young and away from my family, so that side of things didn't change. You grow up outside of football but that is what you do in life. You mature as you get older."

Aadam Patel
Football Reporter in Marseille

Roberto De Zerbi called on the Marseille team to "honour" the Stade Velodrome tonight and it promises to be quite an atmosphere here in France.

The 3,300 Liverpool fans were inside the stadium around three hours before kick off as per the security advice.

And the stands either side of the goal with Marseille supporters have been pretty much full for the last half an hour.

There's a real buzz here. A win for Marseille would see them go ahead of Liverpool in the Champions League standings.

Chelsea welcome back an old favourite in David Luiz tonight.

The Brazilian played for the Blues for six years over two spells and is now the captain of Greek side Pafos.

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With a trip to PSG waiting for Newcastle in their final league game, you feel like three points are an absolute must tonight for their top-eight ambitions.

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Aadam Patel
Liverpool Football Reporter

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It is unusual to suggest that a manager is under pressure after going 12 games unbeaten, but there is certainly a feeling around Liverpool that the football must improve under Arne Slot.

On Tuesday, the Reds boss was bizarrely asked if Xabi Alonso had been in contact with him after rumours linking the Spaniard with the Anfield job. The Dutchman joked it off.

"I am working here for a little bit more than one and a half years and I really like my work over here," he said. "We won the league last season and struggled more in the league this season - that is obvious. What is there left to say?"

The struggles at Liverpool are indeed obvious and most of them have come against teams setting up with a low block and the positive for Slot is that his side did put in an improved performance against Burnley.

Against Marseille, the challenge will be different, though. They are the most prolific side in Ligue 1 and Newcastle United lost away against Roberto de Zerbi's side in November.

If Liverpool leave France with a positive result, Slot's side will be praised in the same way they were hailed after winning at Inter Milan last month.

Lose the game and their unbeaten run, the questions around Slot will only grow.

Former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood will tonight play his second match against English opposition since leaving the club.

The 24-year-old left Old Trafford in September 2023 after a six-month internal investigation into his conduct.

Greenwood was arrested in January 2022 following allegations surrounding material which was published online.

Charges against the former England international, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped in February 2023.

Greenwood initially signed for La Liga side Getafe on loan before joining Marseille in July 2024 for a deal worth up to £26.6m.

He has since scored 42 times in 62 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, and was the league’s joint top scorer last season. Greenwood played in Marseille’s 2-1 Champions League victory over Newcastle in November.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport Chelsea reporter

For Cypriot visitors Pafos, this is a special occasion.

The vast majority of the squad, except former Chelsea defender David Luiz, were out on the pitch at Stamford Bridge taking pictures of themselves before a landmark match.

This is the club's first official match against English opposition and their away end is already filling up with very few Chelsea fans yet in the ground for this one.

Of course, Luiz has faced Chelsea before and played here countless times but, like the Champions League final in 2012, he may be playing through the pain barrier having been an injury doubt before kick-off.

A tough place to come at any time, never mind when Marseille have a chance of reaching the top eight.

A big ask for Liverpool tonight inside the wonderful Stade Velodrome.

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As always, we want your views ahead of the games tonight.

Who needs the three points the most? Will Mo Salah make an impact for Liverpool?

Have your say!

Arsenal are through to the last 16 but who will follow them?

Tottenham are well placed after their win yesterday. Can Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea follow their lead?

Just on to last night for a second... Who else couldn't believe it when they saw Bodo/Glimt had beaten Man City 3-1?!

The squad’s market value stands at £49.76 million, according to Transfermarkt. That is a quarter of the value of Erling Haaland (

Even so, the market value of Bodo's entire squad is a quarter of Erling Haaland alone at £174.23 million.

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