The Christmas period in the Premier League continues on Wednesday evening when the leaders Manchester City look to extend their lead at the top of the table when they make the journey to Tyneside to take on Newcastle United.
Newcastle eased the pressure on themselves on Saturday when they won at West Ham but that will come back onto them if they don’t back that result up soon. That will be difficult to do here against a Man City side who are looking to open up a 15pt lead at the top.
Newcastle
Rafael Benitez’s men finally ended a horror slump which has seen them drop deep into relegation trouble when they won at West Ham but they were gifted a couple of their goals which they might not get here and they looked vulnerable every time the Hammers attacked. That latter point is very much a concern.
It will be interesting to see how Newcastle approach this match. If they try and be tight and compact you would think this City side are too good but if they have a real go, while it might please their fans and gain support from the terraces there is a danger they would leave themselves exposed which would not be good either.
Man City
There isn’t a lot more that can be said about this Man City side that hasn’t already been spoken. They have been terrific this season and have got the title in the bag already. They can now go about breaking all the records in Premier League history to prove how special this side is should those kind of things interest them.
There is no real weakness in this side either. There used to be a school of thought that they were vulnerable defensively but they have conceded the fewest goals in the league this season. At the other end they have 14 goals more than any other side in the Premier League which is nearly an average of a goal a game more.
Team News
Newcastle will be able to call upon the services of Jonjo Shelvey if they trust him here. He has served a suspension. They might need to use him too because Mikel Merino and Isaac Hayden are doubts with injuries.
Man City could change their entire XI if they wanted to and still be competitive. You would think in this busy period Guardiola will make changes but the match is likely to come too soon for John Stones.
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Betting
It is hard to see Newcastle getting anything from this game although the confidence of a win last time out might pep them up enough to give this their all. Ultimately I don’t see them being good enough to stop this rampant Man City outfit.
Watford and Leicester have both been to St James’ in recent times and scored three goals and you would think City will get the chances to match that. They have scored four in each of their last three matches and are in sublime scoring form at the minute. I’ll go with over 2.5 City goals here.
Tips
Back Man City – Over 2.5 goals for a 4/10 stake at 1.85 with Ladbrokes
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