United face the Reds at Tranmere Rovers’ Prenton Park (7pm kick-off), hoping to bounce back quickly from their midweek Checkatrade Trophy exit at the hands of Oldham Athletic.

Peter Beardsley’s youngsters kicked off the group stage with a 2-1 win over Sparta Prague at Whitley Park last month, although they’ve since lost their last two games – 6-0 to Aston Villa and 4-1 to the Latics on Tuesday night.

But the Magpies head to the Wirral knowing that a victory over Premier League 2 Division One table-toppers Liverpool would see them keep their place at the top of Group A, with their final group game – against PSV Eindhoven – to come in December.

Wingers Callum Roberts and Victor Fernandez could once again feature for Newcastle having lined up at the SportsDirect.com Park in midweek, while forward Tom Heardman could come back into contention, having been ineligible for the clash with the League One side.

Tickets are available at the turnstiles at Prenton Park, priced at £4 for adults and £1 for concessions.