NEWCASTLE begin the task of repairing the damage caused by their latest derby defeat to Sunderland when they travel to Liverpool tonight, and despite their dreadful record since the turn of the year, head coach John Carver is confident his players will produce a positive response.

The Magpies have had eight days to stew on their fifth successive derby setback, and there was little in their performance at the Stadium of Light to suggest they are capable of upsetting a Liverpool side still harbouring an outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

Newcastle have failed to win on their last 19 visits to Anfield, and aside from Mehdi Abeid, who is set to return to the heart of midfield, there are unlikely to be too many changes to the team that lined up against Sunderland.

Nevertheless, Carver is confident there will be a strong reaction to events on Wearside, and is backing his players to silence the critics who are predicting that the final seven games of the season could yet see the Magpies drawn into the thick of the relegation fight.

“We need a response, but usually they do respond,” said the interim head coach, who has claimed just two victories since replacing Alan Pardew in late December. “That is a trait that this group of players usually have.

“There is usually a response after a disappointment, I can say that to the fans. Hopefully, there will be a response and that will encourage them to get behind us.”

Having been one-paced and directionless for most of the game against Sunderland, Carver is determined to add some energy and drive to his side this evening.

Rolando Aarons will not be risked despite returning to full training last week, but there could be a start for Adam Armstrong, who was a late substitute at the Stadium of Light.

Carver is also set to tinker with his formation in an attempt to move Moussa Sissoko into a more advanced role. The French midfielder has been forced to play in a deeper-lying position in recent weeks, largely to cover for the absence of Cheick Tiote, but Carver concedes he is more effective when he is able to maraud into the opposition box.

“To an extent, and I have said this before, we have had to put the shackles on Moussa because of circumstances” said Carver. “You want him free running forward, dominating games with his pace and strength. At the moment, that is not happening.”

Sissoko has been captaining the side in the absence of Fabricio Coloccini, who serves the final match of his three-game ban tonight, and while the midfielder’s impact on the field has been limited, Carver has been happy with his off-pitch contribution.

“The captain is your leader, but what you don’t see with Moussa is that he is excellent with the French guys,” he said. “He keeps them in check, and he is the enforcer, which is good.

“Sometimes you give extra responsibilities to players and they thrive. Sometimes, they freeze, but I have seen him have excellent games as captain. He was excellent against Arsenal, although he had one of his quieter games against Sunderland.”

Sissoko continues to be linked with a possible move away from Tyneside this summer, with Paris St Germain and Arsenal both credited with a strong interest in acquiring his services.

Ironically, the same two clubs were battling to sign Mathieu Debuchy from Newcastle last summer, and the full-back conducted an interview in France last week in which he suggested that the Magpies would always be viewed by overseas players as a potential stepping stone to bigger and better things.

Mike Ashley’s business model is based around buying young players for a relatively low fee and selling them on at a profit, and while Newcastle supporters might balk at the idea of their club being a glorified finishing school for continental talent, Carver concedes there will always be a risk of bigger clubs cherry-picking the Magpies’ best players.

“That is his (Debuchy) opinion and mind process, but when he was here, I never got that impression,” he said. “So you can’t really be critical of him in particular because of what he has done and how he has done it.

“Look at (Gareth) Bale – he went to Spurs and is now at Real Madrid. In his head he might always have thought, ‘I want to play for Real Madrid or Barcelona’, but just because he has ended up there, you can’t be critical of that.

“The kid Matty (Debuchy), in particular, has progressed. He got a step up to the Premier League, did ever so well for us, and then got the opportunity to go to Arsenal. Let’s be honest, we couldn’t stand in his way.”

Possible line-ups:

Liverpool (4-3-3): Mignolet; Johnson, Lovren, Toure, Moreno; Henderson, Lucas, Can; Sterling, Sturridge, Coutinho.

Newcastle (4-4-2): Krul; R Taylor, Janmaat, Williamson, Colback; Cabella, Abeid, Sissoko, Ameobi; Perez, Armstrong.