Eddie Howe will hope his Newcastle United team can up their performance levels today for the big occasion, his lacklustre Magpies side in real danger of being turned over by arch rivals Sunderland if not.
Losing to the Black Cats in the Tyne-Wear Derby would just pile on even more misery to proceedings in Tyneside, Howe's men going from the unbelievable high of beating Paris St.Germain in an all-time classic in the Champions League to sinking all the way down to ninth spot in the Premier League at this current point in time.
The Toon could immediately win back grumbling sectors of the fanbase with a win over their old nemesis in Sunderland though, with Howe potentially tinkering with his lineup in a bid to recapture the winning formula that has become so elusive recently.
Bruno Guimaraes could even be spectacularly dropped for this tasty Tyne-Wear showdown, Howe showing to his players that nobody's spot in the first team is concrete in the process.
Bruno Guimaraes' game vs Liverpool in numbers
For the Brazilian midfielder's lofty standards – which has seen him muster up a respectable 7.37 Sofascore average rating for his efforts in the Premier League so far this season – the Toon number 39 was below-par versus Jurgen Klopp's Reds.
The typically reliable midfielder failed to register a single shot on Alisson's goal at Anfield alongside never cutting open up the Liverpool defence with zero key passes managed, a creative off-day from the Magpies star.
It was his usual accurate passing game that was notably flat against Liverpool too, misplacing nine passes in the contest to give the dominant hosts even more of a foothold in the eventual 4-2 defeat handed out.
Bruno Guimaraes' numbers v Liverpool
Minutes played
90
Touches
83
Accurate passes
52/63 (83%)
Key passes
0
Shots on goal
0
Duels won
8/17
Possession lost
19x
Sourced by Sofascore
This led to the former Lyon man also giving away possession 19 times in the middle of the park, midfield rivals for Liverpool in the form of Wataru Endo and Curtis Jones excelling where the Newcastle man faltered with both combined losing possession just 17 times.
Howe will be left wrestling with who to select ahead of his fixed first-teamer now, the Magpies boss having to make do with limited resources for some time now owing to an injury crisis at St James' Park that is not showing any signs of improving.
The players who could replace Bruno Gumiaraes
Shoehorning Joelinton into his starting eleven away on Merseyside as a winger, Howe could utilise the hot-and-cold number seven in a more comfortable central position against Sunderland to replace Guimaraes.
The former Hoffenheim man scored in his last away outing for Howe's men when played through the middle, a good omen potentially and a valid justification as to why the Newcastle manager would select the 27-year-old in this role for the Tyne-Wear Derby.
The fully-fledged Brazil international could give Newcastle the bite they desire against their fierce rivals too, Joelinton unafraid to get stuck in and do the dirty work as a firm fan favourite.
The £85k-per-week menace feels like the only logical like-for-like swap for Guimaraes if Howe decides to axe the underperformer, especially with midfield presence Joe Willock still being sidelined with an injury knock that could keep him out of action for the entirety of January.
Newcastle will just hope they can exit the Stadium of Light at full-time unscathed, not letting the pressure of the match or their poor form get the better of them and a passage to the FA Cup next round is secured without a hitch as a result.