Newcastle v Cardiff City
Saturday 19th January 1500hrs
Football – England – Premier League
Pick: Under 2.5 goals
Bookmaker: 10Bet
Odds: 4/5 (odds taken 22.30 GMT, Wednesday 16th January)
It may only be the middle of January, but this game has the feel of being a really crucial fixture in the context of the relegation battle. Continue reading for a match preview of Newcastle against Cardiff City at St James’ Park, with a selected best betting tip.
Premier League Betting at 10bet
Newcastle Preview
Having survived on their return to the Premier League last season, Newcastle supporters may have had visions (or hope) that they could build on that and perhaps start looking upwards. As things have transpired, however, it has been very much more of the same due to the lack of any investment because of the owner’s wish to sell the club. The Magpies find themselves in the bottom three heading into the weekend’s vital game, but they know a win would see them go above their opponents and back to safety – at least for another week. There was joy for Rafa Benitez’ men in midweek as they eventually overcame Blackburn Rovers in their FA Cup replay, but whilst that is something they can look forward to, the manager’s only real concern is to keep Newcastle in the top flight once again. He’s worked miracles considering how little has been made available for transfers and he’ll have to continue to do so. It’s been a really testing time of late with the squad stretched extremely thin over the festive period and resulting in no wins in their last five league games. You also have go all the way back to the middle of November for the last time Benitez’ men won a home game, that came against Bournemouth.
Key-Facts – Newcastle v Cardiff City
- Only a point separates these two clubs who are currently 18th and 17th in the Premier League
- Newcastle have scored the second fewest amount of goals and Cardiff, the third fewest
- Games involving Newcastle this season have the lowest average number of goals
Cardiff City Preview
As good a job as Benitez done last year and is attempting to continue this term, Neil Warnock is rivalling it. Cardiff were not expected to even be in consideration for the playoffs in the Championship last year but ended up winning automatic promotion with relative ease. Fast forward to the summer and pundits making their predictions as to who will fill the three relegation spaces and virtually everybody had Cardiff occupying one of them. Of course, we’re only just past the halfway stage and depending on results Warnock’s men could yet be in the relegation zone come the end of the weekend and the end of the season, but there appears to be a determination and attitude about this Cardiff team which could see them prove all the doubters wrong and remain in the Premier League. Their recent form is not quite as poor as their opponents on Saturday having won one of their previous five matches but they continue to struggle for goals and have found the net just twice in that run of games. It’s why the club have been strongly linked with a club-record transfer of Emiliano Sala from French club Nantes. Warnock hopes to complete the deal to allow the striker to play some part in Saturday’s game.
Newcastle v Cardiff City Betting Advice
These two clubs have plenty in common going by the first half of the season. Both Newcastle and Cardiff have excellent managers, albeit they do it in very different ways. They’re also run on shoestring budgets in relative terms compared to the other teams in the Premier League, although Cardiff are certainly rolling the dice with the likely signing of Sala – something Benitez can only dream of. Another thing they have in common is that the two teams find it difficult to score goals. Both average less than a goal a game with Newcastle on 16 for the season and Cardiff three better off. The hosts have managed only seven goals all season at St James Park, whilst Cardiff have found the net just six times on their travels.
It’s bound to be a tense affair as all these games between the bottom clubs tend to be. A draw for the visitors is not terrible but Newcastle know that it’s these sort of games they need to be on the front foot in if they are to survive and with a goalless draw at home to Fulham a couple of weeks ago fresh in their memory, it makes three points here all that more important. Both teams are in such bad form that you can’t have confidence in either. What has been consistent all season is their lack of quality in attack and this game looks set to be another low-scoring contest.
