Football – England – Premier League
Monday 29th September 2014 – Kickoff: 2000hrs
Next up is a bottom half clash in the Premier League with hosts Stoke City taking on beleaguered Newcastle United with an even more anxious Alan Pardew hoping his side can save him from the chop at the Britannia Stadium tonight.
Not that Stoke have exactly been prolific in England’s top flight so far this campaign with just one league win from their first five matches, and still yet to open their account in front of their home fans. But this below-par start could end tonight as visitors Newcastle United have really struggled this term amidst ever increasing supporter unrest under the Pardew regime.
Stoke have lost both of their opening home matches in the Premiership this season with defeats to Aston Villa and Leicester City both by 0-1 margins, however, The Potters will take heart from their recent improvement in form which has seen them secure Capital One Cup wins over Portsmouth and Sunderland, together with that massive three points at the Etihad Stadium over Manchester City recently.
Forwards Diouf and Crouch look the most likely anytime goalscorers for the hosts who could climb up into a mid-table position if they take all three points tonight.
Visitors Newcastle United currently occupy the unwanted spot of bottom place in the Premier league after a terrible start to the new season which has again placed under-fire manager Alan Pardew under the spotlight as he tries to lift his side out of the early gloom.
There are actually parallels to be drawn with Stoke City for the visitors Newcastle as they too have progressed in the Capital One Cup recently with wins over Gillingham and fan extra-time win over fellow Premiership club Crystal Palace, but alas, no away wins at a Premiership title contender, just a draw at Aston Villa.
The Magpies have gained just one point from their first two away matches, and even though the season is still in it’s very early stages, Newcastle’s away woes seem to continuing along an all too familiar trend; just one win on the road from their last ten (ironically, that win came at Hull City who are managed by Steve Bruce who has emerged as one of the front-runners for the Newcastle job!), with their last outing ending in a miserable 0-4 loss at Southampton.
To sum up, Stoke City look the more likely to pull the proverbial rabbit from the hat here, and with a noisy Britannia crowd behind them, I’ll back Stoke to wrap up the points in perhaps a 1-0 win.
Pick: Stoke City straight win @ 2.15 bet365
