Newcastle United V Watford
Saturday 31st August 2019 – 15:00 Kick-Off
English Premier League
Pick: Both Teams to Score
Odds: 17/20
Bookmaker: WilliamHill
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31/20 | 21/10 | 37/20 |
* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of 29th August 2019 at 13:40)
Preview: The table would tell us we have two early relegation candidates doing battle here, as two teams who occupy the bottom two places in the Premier League meet at St James’ Park with Newcastle hosting Watford.
English Premier League Betting with 22Bet
Newcastle United Preview – Magpies to clinch back-to-back league wins?
Following the surprising turn of events in North London last weekend, supporters of Newcastle United would have been excited for the first time this season at the prospect of seeing an updated league table. The sight of them all the way down in 19th, therefore, will have been hard to stomach, especially after they had just recorded a big win away at a team that finished all the way up in 3rd in the last campaign.
Despite stunning virtually everybody with their performance away at Tottenham a week ago, the table is a reminder of how poorly The Magpies had initially begun the term – with only their matchday opponents currently beneath them. Nevertheless, those three points were huge and will have represented vindication for a manager who has already come in for strong criticism following those earlier defeats at home to Arsenal (1-0) and away at Norwich (3-1).
The hero last time out was Brazilian Joelinton, the club’s most expensive signing ever who delivered his first goal for The Toon Army on his third competitive appearance. The 23-year-old was a handful throughout, both in the air and on the deck, and could cause a lot of problems for a Watford defence which has looked extremely shaky thus far. Odds of 6/1 with Betfair about him scoring the first goal of the game appear reasonable.
Newcastle will now go in search of back-to-back league wins here. Depending on how you look at it, they either have a fair chance of achieving that or a very good one: the North East club have lost two of their last four league games at St James’ Park (W2 L2) but, conversely, have won six of the previous nine such fixtures (W6 L3). Furthermore, this was a game they won 2-0 in last season.
Watford Preview – Hornets to finally secure first points of the season?
There cannot have been much dispute as to which side were the biggest surprise in last season’s Premier League. That honour should have rightly been awarded to Watford for barely missing out on a top-half finish (11) whilst also managing to reach the final of the FA Cup. And yet the season essentially culminated in disastrous fashion; with one eye on that looming final, the Hornets would fail to win any of their final four league fixtures before losing 6-0 to Man City in the cup final.
That was, of course, last season. The reason I mention it is because the manner in which Javi Gracia’s team have begun the latest league campaign is eerily similar to how they concluded the last, which is in dire straits. Three consecutive defeats in 2019-20, against Brighton (0-3), Everton (1-0) and, more recently, at home to West Ham (1-3) makes it six league defeats in a row with their last win coming back in April against a hapless Huddersfield.
Perhaps of even greater concern than the woeful form itself has to be the porous nature of the defending up until now. Watford continue to look incredibly vulnerable defensively, averaging 1.4 Expected Goals Against across their three games so far. So to then beat Coventry 3-0 in midweek, keeping a first clean sheet in nine competitive fixtures, was timely even if it did occur against lowly opposition.
The continued absence of club captain Troy Deeney through injury is a huge blow, but that only means someone else needs to step up. Andre Gray notched his and his team’s first league goal of the season in last week’s defeat against West Ham and the bulk of the scoring burden now falls upon his shoulders. The 28-year-old is 13/5 with PaddyPower to score anytime in this match.
Newcastle V Watford Key Facts:
- Newcastle have won six of their last nine home Premier League games (W6 L3).
- Watford are currently on a six-match losing streak in the Premier League.
- Last season’s fixture at Newcastle between these two produced a 2-0 scoreline for the home side, but that is Watford‘s only loss in previous eight competitive meetings (W6 D1 L1).
Betting Summary
The confidence should be flowing through the veins of the Newcastle team after their hard-fought 1-0 victory away to Tottenham last weekend, with big-money signing Joelinton delivering his first goal for the club since arriving in the summer. The Toon Army will be demanding another winning effort here, against the poorest team in the division after three matches played. Six wins in their previous nine home league games suggest it is plausible.
Every team has now collected at least a point this season – the only exception being a Watford side that has slumped to three successive defeats. When coupled with their form towards the end of the previous league season, it is now six defeats on the spin for Javi Gracia and his team, who continue to leak goals. However, they do possess a handy record against this particular opponent having won six of the last eight meetings in all competitions.
Although they did keep a clean sheet at Tottenham, the balance of play suggested Newcastle were slightly fortunate to do so. Both these teams have shown an enormous amount of frailties at the back so far, giving up plenty of scoring chances to opposing sides, and that is likely to be in evidence once again here.
