Newcastle United Vs Crystal Palace
Saturday 21st December 2019 – 15:00 Kick-Off
English Premier League
Pick: Draw
Odds: 11/5
Bookmaker: Unibet
English Premier League Betting at 22Bet
(All betting odds displayed were correct at the time of writing: 19th December 2019 at 22:00)
Preview: No loss in six Premier League home games for Newcastle United, but that fine run could come under scrutiny on Saturday afternoon when Crystal Palace visit St James’ Park seeking a fourth away win of the campaign.
Newcastle United Vs Crystal Palace Live Stats & Betting Odds
Newcastle United Preview – Loss of influential attacker big blow?
There was a strong consensus that this team, one inherited from a former manager held in the highest esteem by supporters, was only capable of competing in this league because of the tactical genius of Rafael Benitez. It might still be relatively early into the season but some of those theories have been squashed by the very same group of players who have steered this club to eleventh in the table, currently closer to European qualification (3 points) than relegation (7 points).
Steve Bruce was given a hostile welcome in some quarters of the Newcastle United (11th – W6 D4 L7, GF17 GA24) fan base but, thus far, has worked well with what limited resources he has at his disposal. The football remains unimaginative for the most part – and that will only get worse what with their maverick midfielder, Allan Saint-Maximin, now out injured – but the points continue to trickle in. Last week’s 1-0 reverse away to Burnley being a first loss for four games, and only their second in the last eight (W4 D2 L2).
St James’ Park has certainly played its part this season, however. After losing the very first home game against Arsenal 1-0, The Magpies have remained unbeaten on Tyneside (W3 D3). This includes a couple of eye-catching results against both Manchester clubs, beating Man Utd 1-0 whilst also earning an unlikely 2-2 draw with the defending champions, Man City. Moreover, Bruce’s men have now scored twice in each of the last three fixtures on home soil, which is no mean feat for the third-lowest scorers (17) in the entire league.
Crystal Palace Preview – Eagles thriving amidst injury woes?
Courtesy of some wizardry from the in-demand Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace (9th – W6 D5 L6, GF15 GA19) somehow ended the Monday Night Football clash with Brighton earning a point from a contest they were unquestionably second best in. Failing to have a single shot in the opening half of the game, The Eagles fell behind shortly after the half-time interval and were eventually indebted to their talisman for salvaging a 1-1 draw that helped extend the team’s unbeaten league run to four matches (W2 D2).
Despite scoring less goals (15) this season than nineteen other teams, Palace have nevertheless ground out sufficient points to occupy the top half of the table. They, too, are closer to the top-six than the dreaded drop zone, as manager Roy Hodgson continues to squeeze all he can out of a depleted squad that has probably overachieved so far this season. Particularly in defence, which is undoubtedly the strongest area of the pitch for the South Londoners: 19 conceded is bettered by only three teams, and is the same tally as defending champions Manchester City.
Without this defensive resolve to frequently fall back on, Palace would almost certainly find themselves in a much less flattering position. For large parts of the game with Brighton they never looked like scoring, as was also the case in the most recent away encounter with Watford. The goalless draw at Vicarage Road being a seventh blank of the season for Palace, for whom one goal has been their limit in 13 of 17 fixtures thus far. Yet victories over Burnley (0-2), West Ham (1-2) and even Man Utd (1-2) are a reminder of what this team can produce away from home.
Newcastle United Vs Crystal Palace – Key Facts:
- Newcastle United haven’t lost a home fixture in the league since the opening weekend of the season, going six said matches unbeaten thereafter (W3 D3).
- Crystal Palace have drawn both of their last two league encounters, including a 0-0 draw at Watford in their latest away fixture.
- None of the previous five head-to-head meetings produced more than two match goals, with Crystal Palace 1-0 winners on last season’s visits to Newcastle.
Betting Summary
Two of the least inspiring attacks in this season’s Premier League go head-to-head in a fixture that, rather unsurprisingly, has produced very few goals in recent years. Since Newcastle’s return to the top-flight for the 2016-17 term, all four league encounters have produced no more than two goals, with Under 1.5 Goals landing on three occasions. Last season, meanwhile, saw a goalless draw at Selhurst Park followed by a 1-0 away win for Crystal Palace at St James’ Park.
It isn’t that much of a long shot therefore to suggest these teams may cancel each other out here. Newcastle (29/20 Unibet) have a six-game run without losing at home to protect but are without the electric Allan Saint-Maximin, whereas Crystal Palace (9/4 Betfair) are Crystal Palace – continually finding solutions to most of their problems under Roy Hodgson, which at the moment is a lack of personnel rather than a loss of form.
There hasn’t been a drawn game between the pair at St James’ Park since 2014. However, three subsequent clashes there were all settled by a single goal and this looks set to be another closely-fought affair.
