Prediction: Newcastle vs Everton

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 23/20

Bookmaker: William Hill

Newcastle United are set to welcome Everton to St. James Park on Saturday afternoon in the 20th round of the 2019/20 Premier League season. Given the close proximity of the two teams in the league table, it is certainly a very important game as they both strive for a survival as comfortable as possible.

Newcastle

The Magpies have been somewhat of a team with two faces this term, and those are generally the hardest to predict in terms of a specific result or performance. For example, they totally outplayed and beat Manchester United at home earlier this season, only to fall completely to pieces against the same opposition at Old Trafford on Boxing Day and consider themselves lucky to have conceded just four. They are the team that lost 2-0 to the newly promoted Aston Villa five days before holding champions Manchester City to a 2-2 draw.

They enter this clash sitting 10th with 25 points, six above the relegation zone – far from comfortable, you might say, and this game, on home soil against opposition similar to themselves, could just be the place to seek points and firmer ground to stand on.

Team News

Manager Steve Bruce was one of the numerous tacticians in the Premier League who loudly complained over the hectic festive schedule, saying that if you force players to play tired, you will have injuries. He will wait to see if either of defenders Javier Manquillo and Paul Dummett is fit, following a calf and a groin injury, respectively. Midfielder Ki Sung-yeun could also miss out through illness.

Everton

Having been mauled to defeat in the Merseyside Derby, Everton sacked manager Marco Silva recently and appointed none other than Carlo Ancelotti in his place. The 60-year-old Italian has already won the title in every one of the top five European leagues bar Spain, as well as the Champions League three times. The impact the change in the dugout has made was quite obvious from the start, as Everton beat Burnley by 1-0.

Everton recently released images of the final designs for their new stadium, a 52,000-seater that will be built on the shores of the Mersey river in Liverpool. That project, coupled with Ancelotti’s appointment, spells ambition. It remains to be seen where it will end up getting them.

Team News

Much like Bruce, Ancelotti is also unhappy about the thickness of the schedule in England’s top flight at the moment. He has announced numerous changes to the team that beat Burnley on Thursday in order to prevent injuries in his squad. Theo Walcott, Michael Keane, Tom Davies and Leighton Baines all started on the bench in that game and could be given starting roles this time around. Forward Alex Iwobi is, however, out with a thigh problem, as is midfielder Andre Gomes with a broken ankle.

Conclusion

It will be a tough battle which neither team will want to lose, so unless there’s an early goal, they’ll be looking to keep things tight at the back first, before venturing to send too many bodies forward. And yet, it feels as if Everton, driven by the players’ desire to impress the new big-name boss, could nick this.

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 23/20

Bookmaker: William Hill