Prediction: Newcastle United vs Blackburn

10th November 2010

The impressive away victory over Arsenal saw Newcastle climb to 5th place in the standings, with the Magpies obviously set to try and stay there for as long as possible. Blackburn boosted their survival chances as they beat Wigan at Ewood Park, but considering their away form, the Rovers have little to hope for before the trip up north.

Newcastle are enjoying one of their best ever starts to a Premiership campaign with Chris Hughton’s team puling one surprise after another. Looking at the quality of players the young boss has got at his disposal, this is hardly surprising, although not even the most optimistic fans could have hoped for such a good start. The Magpies remain a bit inconsistent but after beating West Ham and Arsenal in London as well as trashing Sunderland at St James Park, they’ve got to be considered favourites against but an average Blackburn side. While Andy Carrol continued his rich vein of form by scoring the winner against Arsenal, it is the midfield area consisting of Barton, Nolan, Gutierrez and Tiote that’s been doing most of the work and a key reason behind team’s outstanding results. Backed by the vociferous crowd at St James Park and brimming with confidence after the triumph over Arsenal, Newcastle to win definitely looks like one of the best football predictions in midweek. Chris Hughton has no new injury worries and he could field the same side that started the Arsenal game.

While constantly staring into the abyss over the last few years, Blackburn seem to have found a perfect recipe for staying in the Premiership and they have mastered it to perfection. Rovers don’t spend too much time worrying about clashes with top table sides but they rather give everything they’ve got when playing their fellow strugglers and somehow always take plenty of points from those matches. Of course, I am not implying Rovers will bend over at St James Park, but merely saying they don’t have enough quality to match a side like Newcastle. Besides beating Blackpool away and bringing one point from the Eastlands, Blackburn lost all other games on the travels this season thus justifying the tag of one of the worst travelers in the Premiership. On top of that, the visitors will be without Grella, Benjani, Andrews and possibly El-Hadji Diouf, so they really don’t have much to hope for from this game.

Conclusion

Newcastle have been in remarkable form lately with the victory over Arsenal serving as a major confidence boost. The Magpies are pretty convincing at their St James and after scoring five against Sunderland, Blackburn shouldn’t pose too big a threat, especially as Rovers are far from dangerous on the travels.

Verdict: Home win Newcastle United (1)

Best Odds: Evens (1/1)

Bookmaker: Ladbrokes