Prediction: Newcastle vs Wolverhampton

24th Fenruary 2012

Newcastle are hoping to bounce back from the embarrassing defeat at White Hart Lane as well as remain in contention for European places with another convincing performance at St James Park. Wolverhampton have just stayed without long-serving manager Mick McCarthy and his former assistant Terry Connor is the man who will try to keep Wolves in the Premiership.

Following the brilliant start to the Premiership campaign, Newcastle found themselves in a position to fight for Champions League places and even though many expected the Magpies to break under pressure, they have done really well to stay in contention for the top 4 finish. Alan Pardew’s side recovered well from the heavy defeat to Fulham to record back to back wins over Blackburn and Aston Villa, but they were powerless to resist a 5-0 loss to Tottenham last time out. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the Magpies were without several key players at White Hart Lane, namely Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye, and now that the midfield duo is back to the side, the team are expected to deliver a positive response to the aforementioned defeat. With compatriots Demba Ba and Papiss Demba Cisse slowly building a fruitful partnership, Newcastle can be trusted to put some extra pressure on their top four rivals as they are set to host one of the weakest sides in the elite division. Ryan Taylor also returns to the side, but Leon Best, Steven Taylor, Sammy Ameobi and Sylvain Marveaux remain in the infirmary.

The game at St James Park clearly comes at a bad time for Wolverhampton as not only have Wolves stayed without long-serving boss Mick McCarthy, but they go into this game on the back of the 5-1 defeat to their bitter rivals. The Irish manager paid the price for the heavy loss to West Brom as the club chiefs decided to sack McCarthy after more than five years at the helm, but considering what happened afterwards, they are probably still wondering whether they have made the right decision. Seeing that no high-profile managers expressed interest in the Wolves job, the club management had no choice but to hand over the reigns to McCarthy’s assistant Terry Connor, who faces a difficult task of picking up the players’ spirits after such a disappointing defeat. Captain Karl Henry is expected to rally the troops as he returns from a three-match ban, whereas Michael Kightly could play after recovering from injury.

Conclusion

Newcastle won’t be too downhearted by the 5-0 defeat to Tottenham as they are still in a great position to fight for European places, and with Cabaye and Tiote back to the side, the Magpies should be able to rediscover their excellent home form. Wolverhampton are in pieces after the 5-1 loss to West Brom and their leaky defence faces an uphill task against one of the best attacks in the league.

Verdict: Home win Newcastle (1)

Best Odds: 5/8

Bookmaker: BetVictor