Focus Fixture: Can Newcastle upset the odds against Man City

Newcastle welcome Manchester City to St. James’s Park on Saturday evening as they look to get their Premier League campaign back on track. Eddie Howe’s side have wilted in recent months but they’ll need to be at their best to topple City. Pep Guardiola’s side are recovering from troubles of their own but can close the gap on Liverpool to just two points with a win.

The Form

Eddie Howe has endured his trickiest period since taking the reins at Newcastle. His team have picked up just two wins in their last nine competitive matches and have lost five of their last six in the Premier League. Newcastle have also conceded a heap of goals in the process. They have conceded three goals or more in five of those matches, which doesn’t bode well as they prepare to take on Manchester City.

Newcastle will take confidence from the fact that they have already beaten City this season. They eliminated Pep’s men from the EFL Cup at this ground back in September but that was their only win over City in their last 11 meetings. Moreover, the City team that started that clash will be very different from the eleven here. These sides shared the spoils in a six-goal thriller in this fixture last season so let’s hope for a similar level of entertainment this time around.

The Magpies have been on a remarkable upward trajectory since they were taken over by the Saudi Public Investment Fund but they face an uphill battle if they want to return to the Champions League next season. This campaign’s European adventure was cut short as they finished fourth in the group stages. They are currently eleven points off earning a place in Europe’s elite club competition next season but there is plenty of football to be played.

Manchester City were top of the league in November but a string of poor results in the league saw them slip to fourth at one stage. They went on a run of four league games without a win which ended on December 6th. They have since won seven of their eight matches in all competitions and lifted the Club World Cup in the process.

City have a game in hand on the teams around them due to their exploits in Saudi Arabia and they remain favourites to win the title. They can cut the gap to Liverpool, who are the current league leaders, to just two points this weekend. Guardiola’s side are well versed in title races and lengthy winning running in the latter stages of the season have become their trademark. Pep will be hoping his side put their best foot forward this Saturday.

The Runners and the Riders

Newcastle’s troubles have been closely linked to injuries. Several Premier League sides have struggled with injuries this season but Eddie Howe’s headache has been amongst the worst. Nick Pope, Matt Target, Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes, Joe Willock and Javier Manquillo are all absent for this clash. Sandro Tonali’s ban for his gambling activities has been a further blow. Joelinton is also a doubt.

 Manchester City have been given a massive boost with Kevin De Bruyne’s return to the squad. He has been out for a lengthy period and could be in contention to start here. Jeremy Doku has also returned. Erling Haaland is a doubt in attack but City have still found ways to score without their clinical number nine.  John Stones is sidelined until the end of the month so Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias are the likely centre-back partnership for the visitors.

What They Said

Eddie Howe praised his team’s preparation for this clash but he left no doubts as to what he thought about the opposition. He said “they have the best manager in the world, their style of play is difficult to combat, but I believe we can be really competitive in this game.”

Pep Guardiola also heaped praise on his opposite number. Pep said ““Incredible what happened last season, and this season they are taking a step forward. What I have seen lately, what they have done all season, it is one of the toughest (opponents) we have.”

Bet Builder Tip

The first leg of our bet builder is for both teams to score in the match. Newcastle haven’t hit the level they were at last season just yet but their home form has still been strong. They have picked up eight wins in their 10 Premier League matches at St. James’s Park. Most importantly for this bet, they have scored in all of those games with an average of 2.3 goals.

Surprisingly for a side that dominates possession, Manchester City have struggled to keep clean sheets on the road. They’ve kept just two away clean sheets in the league this season. Throughout those 10 matches, they are scoring 2.1 goals per game but conceding 1.2.

There were plenty of chances in this fixture last season as the teams drew 3-3. Newcastle were able to have 12 shots, six of which were on target, despite having just 31% possession. They should have enough to cause City problems with the home crowd behind them.

The next selection takes our bet builder to odds of 3.20. We are backing Julian Alvarez to find the net and continue his purple patch. The 23-year-old has already achieved so much in football but his opportunities can be limited with him being the understudy to Erling Haaland. Pep has incorporated both into the starting eleven at times but Alvarez should lead the line on his own here.

The World Cup winner scored the decisive goal against Newcastle as City won 1-0 in the earlier league meeting. Alvarez was able to pick out the top corner and give Nick Pope no chance in that clash.

Alvarez has scored five goals in Manchester City’s last five matches in all competitions and made two assists. 

Recommended Bet

Back Both Teams To Score & Julian Alvarez To Score @ 3.20