Newcastle United have entered the second half of the season in a dangerous area, with Rafael Benitez‘s side being sucked into the relegation battle near the foot of the table after a decent start in their return to the top-flight.
The Magpies are just three points ahead of the relegation zone heading into this weekend’s tie, where they face a Manchester City side running away with the Premier League title- and looking for redemption after their unbeaten run was ended by Liverpool last week.
Newcastle will therefore face a stern test in test in their visit to the North West, reflected in the Man City vs Newcastle betting odds that have the Citizens as heavy favourite at 1/10 on, and damage limitation could well be the name of the game for Benitez’s side, who will be desperate not to be on the back-end of a hammering that would leave their situation looking very bleak.
The Magpies currently have the best goal difference in the bottom-half of the Premier League (-10) but it’s very tight at the bottom, with Southampton (-11), West Brom, West Ham and Crystal Palace around them (all -12) within touching distance.
Newcastle won’t slip into the relegation zone this weekend, unless there is a 17 goal swing in Stoke City’s favour, but a hefty defeat would potentially shatter the best advantage that the Magpies currently have in the battle to avoid relegation.
Benitez’s side have struggled in front of goal this season, scoring just 21 goals in 23 matches, but 31 goals conceded isn’t a bad return at the other end- with only Brighton in the bottom half of the table having shipped less goals this term (29).
Remarkably, Newcastle’s defence is relatively close to top-four chasing Arsenal (30) and Liverpool (28), showing that defensively the Magpies are usually fairly solid- although the task this weekend is significantly harder against a Manchester City side who have scored 67 goals already this season.
The Magpies have already shown their capable of quelling City’s ferocious attack, losing by just one goal in December, and another narrow defeat would be a decent result for Newcastle- who will surely not expect to get anything from their trip to the Etihad Stadium.
As such, the presence of Jamaal Lascelles in the heart of Newcastle’s defence will be vital but it’s the full-back areas and in midfield where the Magpies need to be resilient, as City exploit the wide areas and often pull the strings in the middle of the park.
Having a player like Isaac Hayden sitting in front of the defence to mop up any loose balls may be the ideal tactic but he’ll be unable to do it all on his own.
