Newcastle v Manchester City predictions: Both teams to notch at St James' Park

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Newcastle v Manchester City in the Premier League on Friday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Premier League, 8pm Friday

Best bet

Both teams to score
2pts Evs general

Team news

Newcastle
Callum Wilson joins Jamaal Lascelles, Isaac Hayden and Ryan Fraser on the sidelines. Fabian Schar is suspended.

Manchester City
John Stones is available after a ban.

Match preview

Newcastle and Manchester City achieved their targets at either end of the Premier League table this week and with the pressure off both camps expect a decent encounter at St James's Park.

The Magpies' top-flight status was secured on Monday night by Fulham's failure to beat Burnley and 24 hours later it was City celebrating after Manchester United blew it at home to Leicester to gift their neighbours the title.

It leaves Newcastle able to freewheel to the line while Pep Guardiola still has one more challenge in his eye line, the small matter of a Champions League final against Chelsea.

Guardiola will make changes, though not necessarily because of the showdown in Porto or wherever it is that game ends up being staged. It's more than likely he would make changes anyway. And the players he picks will generally be better than Newcastle's.

That said, they are no value at 1-4, absolutely none. And if they're no value then they ought to be a lay and odds of around 3-1 about the Newcastle or draw double chance shouldn't be discounted.

Any caution in that bet is based purely on the fact we're talking Newcastle here, a side who have been generally poor all season long. And having achieved their own ambition of survival, who's to say they'll take this game any more seriously than the visitors will?

There are negatives against Newcastle wherever you look, none more than their wretched record when top scorer Callum Wilson doesn't play. They've played nine times without Wilson in the league this season and not won any of them.

Another negative is their inability to defend – one clean sheet in 14. City should have few difficulties, with all the possession they have, of carving out scoring opportunities and the chances are they'll take one or two. When these teams last met, at The Etihad in December, the Toon saw just 28 per cent of the ball and were flattered to lose just 2-0.

Since then, certainly more recently, Newcastle have come out of their shell a bit more and the bet here may well be that both teams score.

The case for Newcastle not keeping a clean sheet is there for all to see, but what of City?

Six days ago they conceded twice against Chelsea and while it's unwise to compare the Magpies to Thomas Tuchel's Blues, other teams to have breached City's defences in recent times include Southampton (twice), Wolves, Leeds and Aston Villa.

And even without Wilson Newcastle carry a goal threat. Joe Willock has been a fabulous addition to Bruce's ranks with four goals in his last five and the headless chickens - Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin - are a constant threat on the counter, which is how United look likely to be playing.

Newcastle have scored 12 goals in their last six matches which is encouraging and, of course, are safe so can play without any fear. And they are on a run of just two defeats in the last ten, a sequence which includes wins over West Ham and Leicester and draws against Spurs and Liverpool.

Key stat

Newcastle average 1.3 points per game with Callum Wilson in their side, 0.4ppg without him.

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