Newcastle United vs Liverpool: Looking at Rafael Benitez’s record AGAINST the Reds ahead of huge Premier League clash
Rafa is loved by Liverpool fans for his work on Merseyside but how has he fared as a manager against the Reds?
Liverpool will be looking to stay in the title race with a good result against Newcastle on Saturday night.
The Reds can regain their place at the top of the Premier League with a win but know a defeat will mean Manchester City can wrap up the title with a triumph over Leicester on Monday night.
A draw isn't really good enough for Liverpool either as that plus a City win will put Pep Guardiola's men three points clear with a superior goal difference going into the final day.
So in order to stay competitive in the title race, Liverpool need the three points at St James' Park where they'll come up against an old friend, Rafael Benitez.
Newcastle boss Benitez is revered by many a Kopite having won the Champions League and FA Cup during his six-year stay at Anfield.
But it's been a while since Rafa was at the Liverpool hot seat and he's since gone on to manage the likes of Inter Milan, Chelsea and Real Madrid before going to Newcastle in 2016.
Rafa actually did Liverpool a huge favour by beating Manchester City in the league in January which was also the last time the Citizens dropped points.
However, whether the Spaniard will help Liverpool out this time remains to be seen but this got us thinking, what is his record like against the Merseysiders?
Below you can see how Rafael Benitez has done against Liverpool as a manager.
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Valencia - P2 W2
Before going to Liverpool in 2004, Benitez had a very successful time at Valencia which saw him break the Real Madrid and Barcelona mould by winning the LaLiga titles in the 2001/02 and 2003/04 seasons.
And following Benitez's first league triumph, they faced Gerard Houllier's Reds in the group stage of the 2002/03 Champions League.
Valencia won at the Mestalla Stadium 2-0 thanks to goals from Pablo Aimar and Ruben Baraja and won 1-0 at Anfield with a strike from Francisco Rufete.
Chelsea - P1 D1
Years after being in the Liverpool dugout for some epic battles against Chelsea, Benitez faced the Reds at Anfield with the Blues in April 2013.
And Benitez nearly won at his old home but a late equaliser from Luis Suarez ensured both sides shared the spoils with a 2-2 draw.
This was also the game where Suarez bit former Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic so Rafa's return didn't exactly grab the headlines after the match!
Newcastle United - P4 D2 L2
Benitez has been less successful against his old club when in charge of Newcastle, having not won in four attempts.
Newcastle secured an unlikely 2-2 draw at Anfield in April 2016 but it wasn't enough to keep them up so they next played the Reds at St James' Park in October 2017, where the two sides played out a 1-1 draw.
The last two games have been pretty convincing defeats to Liverpool - 2-0 in March 2018 and 4-0 in December 2018.
But with Liverpool's damaging midweek loss at Barcelona potentially on their minds, Benitez may never get a better chance to beat them as Magpies manager.
