Premier League: This is a Great Time to be a Magpie!

Newcastle United vs Crystal Palace

There’s a top flight treat in store this week when Premier League: Newcastle United vs Crystal Palace takes centre stage on Wednesday, a game in hand for both the Magpies and the Eagles.

Both have been flying in recent weeks, Oliver Glasner’s Palace have long since pulled away from the bottom group and, currently sitting 12^th have a top ten place in their sights. But the Newcastle fans are in dreamland right now. Since winning their first trophy in 70 years, beating Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final, the Magpies have won three league games on the bounce to move into the Champions League places.  

Following a run which has taken them to the FA Cup semi-final and earned ten points from four league games, Palace took a 5-2 thumping at the hands of Manchester City on Saturday before Newcastle United took on Manchester United on Sunday and handed out a similar punishment, whacking the Red Devils 4-1. The win took the Magpies up to fourth place in the league table and another victory over the Eagles would move them up to third. And the pre-match Newcastle United vs Crystal Palace betting odds say they have every chance.

And Newcastle’s brilliant performance on Sunday was just the boost manager Eddie Howe needed as he missed the game through illness while his assistant and mate Jason Tindall took charge. The club is hopeful Howe is on the road to recovery and will be back in soon, but if he doesn’t feel well enough by Wednesday, Mad Dog Tindall will be in the dugout again while the boss watches in comfort.       

 

Talking Points

Barnes makes his case

The Magpies are blessed with an array of talent in the attacking department, and the star of the show on Sunday was Harvey Barnes who scored a second half brace to take the game away from Manchester United. The first was a superb poacher’s goal as the former Leicester City man ghosted in to beat four Manchester United players to the ball after great work from Tino Livramento. His second was a superb individual effort as he surged through the United defence before curling a beauty of a shot high into the net.

Barnes’ energy and abundant talent was the undoing of the Red Devils and he took his starting position ahead of the England pair of Callum Wilson and Anthony Gordon, and it would be very difficult to leave Barnes out now. 

This really is an exciting time for the Magpies and the quality running through the team is immense, from keeper Nick Pope to centre forward Alexander Isak. And the two other goal scorers against the Red Devils, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali are two of the best midfielders in the business on current form.           

 

Glasner’s 3-5-2 dilemma

Crystal Palace fans will have no criticism of their manager currently as he has led them to the cusp of the top ten in the Premier League and a Wembley FA Cup semi-final. But that’s not to say he won’t be hard on himself after he made a tactical switch against Manchester City, which blew up spectacularly. With the score at 2-2 Glasner brought off top scorer Jean Phillipe Mateta to be replaced by Will Hughes to pack the midfield in a 3-5-2. The plan backfired as the Sky Blues fast passing game cut through the formation and they scored three goals with consummate ease. Had the plan worked then Glasner might have been tempted to consider the same formation against Newcastle’s strong midfield but will he risk the same potential outcome?

I suspect 13 goal Mateta will return in an exciting front three alongside Ismaila Sarr and Eberechi Eze. 

 

History

The Geordies have had the better of the head to head Newcastle United vs Crystal Palace results with 16 wins to six in all competitions since 1994  and the Eagles have failed to win on their last four visits to St James Park.

Both teams have strung together a strong set of results in recent weeks, Newcastle winning five of the last six and Palace four of the last six.   

 

Betting Tip

The Magpies are at SBOTOP odds 1.66 to win this huge game and that will take them past Nottingham Forest into third. But this is not a foregone conclusion with Palace at 4.06 to win or 3.55 to Draw.

But the way Newcastle put Manchester United away, a day after Palace had a humbling away to Manchester City tells me the momentum is certainly with the hosts, and winning is a habit the Magpies don’t look like losing any time soon.  I’m hoping for another exciting game and, for a correct score line, 3-1 at odds of 12.52 would be my choice.

   

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