Prediction: Newcastle vs Leicester

Prediction: Draw

Best Odds: 16/5

Bookmaker: bet365

Happy New Year one and all! It’s safe to say that 2019 has been one hell of a year for us all, and in the world of football, 2020 looks set to be even crazier with everything from the Summer Olympics to UEFA Euro 2020 and beyond. Before all that, though, there’s still a whole half of the season to go in the domestic leagues all across the land – including in the Premier League. Today, we’ll be looking at a pretty intriguing game up in the North East as Newcastle United host high-flying Leicester City.

Newcastle

From their aerial presence to their strong structure, Newcastle United have been much better than anyone was really expecting them to be over the course of the last few months. Steve Bruce has turned a negative into a positive after he replaced Rafa Benitez, and he’s done so with a squad that he could really start to build up quite nicely. It all depends on whether or not we see him get the sort of investment that he needs during the upcoming January transfer window.

Team News

The growing injury list is going to worry Bruce to say the least with Lascelles and Saint-Maximin being ruled out whereas Clark, Shar, Lejeune, Joelinton, Ritchie, Dummett and Sung-Yeung are all considered to be doubts ahead of the game.

Leicester

Leicester City may not be anywhere close to causing Liverpool problems in the title race, but they’ve certainly gone above and beyond what was expected of them this season. They’re in the perfect position to solidify a spot in the Champions League, and while that may seem bizarre, the gap between themselves and fifth place is clear for everyone to see. They’ve also got a Carabao Cup semi-final coming up, so they’ll need to start thinking about how to manage their resources.

Team News

The two major concerns for Brendan Rodgers are James and Pereira, but following his squad rotation against West Ham, there’s a very good chance that the Foxes are going to be back to full strength here.

Factors to Consider

• In their last meeting earlier this season, Leicester beat Newcastle 5-0.
• Newcastle have won three and lost three of their last six games.
• Leicester have won two, drawn two and lost two of their last six games.
• Newcastle have scored seven goals and conceded eight in their last six games.
• Leicester have scored 10 goals and conceded 12 in their last six games.

Conclusion

Newcastle are proving to be much more formidable than anyone expected at the start of the season, mainly due to their power and determination on the pitch – especially at home. We can see them taking the lead early on and sitting on that lead for a long time, only for Leicester to finally break through late in the game. The two sides will share the points as they continue to try and establish themselves as top half and top four contenders in their own right.

Prediction: Draw

Best Odds: 16/5

Bookmaker: bet365