The penultimate weekend of the Premier League season concludes with the Monday Night Football which this week is bigger at the bottom end of the table rather than the top of it as Newcastle United host Leicester City.
Technically, Newcastle need a point to secure Champions League football but with their goal difference seven better than Liverpool who are three points behind with one to play it would need something remarkable for the Toon not to make it. Leicester begin the game second bottom but will come out of the relegation zone with a win.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the Monday Night Football programme which will be shown on the Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League channels. The show begins at 7pm with kick off at 8pm.
Newcastle United
This has been a wonderful season for Newcastle United and they can crown it nicely if they avoid defeat in front of their home fans for the last time in this campaign and secure a return to the Champions League next term. They are highly likely to make it anyway but if they can make it official at home and avoid any last day potential angst then I would imagine they will be determined to take that opportunity here.
Newcastle are finishing the season in brilliant form. They have won nine of their last 12 matches and only Aston Villa and Arsenal have beaten them in that time. In those 12 games they have scored 32 goals so things are really clicking for them at the top end of the pitch, something you would expect to continue with the money they have to spend. After being defensively strong at the other end of the park, Newcastle haven’t kept a clean sheet in nine outings which might be something they look at in the summer.
Leicester City
I’ve said it a few times in recent weeks but I still can’t believe that Leicester are in this situation but having watched them offer absolutely nothing against Liverpool last week I fear their survival hopes might be non-existent. They looked a shell of the team who won the Premier League a few seasons ago and the FA Cup just two years ago and it would take something extraordinary from those involved to avoid them dropping back into the Championship.
The axing of Brendan Rodgers hasn’t really worked and in total Leicester have won just one of their last 14 matches, losing 10 of those and in truth they are in danger of going down without even putting up a fight. Given where they have been in the last few seasons you would like to think the very minimum they will show here is some fight, especially as the others around them have been so poor that Leicester will go into the final day with their destiny in their own hands if they can win this.
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Team News
Newcastle United have an injury concern over Joe Willock who left the win over Brighton midway through the second period. Bruno Guimaraes is another who is a doubt for this one while Sean Longstaff and Jacob Murphy are also likely to miss out.
Leicester City boss Dean Smith is hoping that he will be able to call upon the services of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Kelechi Iheanacho for this match. Caglar Soyuncu and Danny Ward will both miss out through injury though.
Betting
I think we have to expect goals in this match. There is no real point in Leicester not having a go here. They either win the game and control their own destiny or they lose it and know they have to win next week. Either way, if they go in front I wouldn’t back them to shut up shop against a Newcastle attack which has been rampant this season, and if they go behind they will surely look to come out a lot more than they did against Liverpool last week.
Newcastle have struggled a bit at the back recently so they are likely to look to get onto the front foot and secure their top four passage in the style they have been playing with in recent weeks. These two are not averse to high scoring matches and with so much on the line for the visitors I would be amazed if they can’t rouse themselves and offer something. I think over 3.5 goals, which is shortening all the time, is the way to go here.
Tips
Back Over 3.5 goals for a 3/10 stake at 2.20 with William Hill
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