Newcastle v Norwich predictions: Magpies set for more misery

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Newcastle United v Norwich City in the Premier League on Tuesday.

Where to watch

Amazon Prime Video, 7.30pm Tuesday

Best bet

Norwich or draw double chance
1pt 17-20 Hills

Team news

Newcastle
Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Ritchie are suspended.

Norwich
Mathias Normann has joined Christoph Zimmermann on the sidelines and Sam Byram is short of match fitness.

Match preview

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe was keen to accentuate the positives after his team lost 2-0 at Arsenal on Saturday, but that defeat left them winless, six points from safety and with just six points to their names from 13 matches.

The situation is already dire and if Newcastle are looking for historical assurances, there is little to fall back on.

Derby's class of 2000-01 are the only team to have survived after failing to any of their opening 13 matches, and they were successful at the 14th attempt – winning 2-0 at home to Bradford.

Just two games into his spell as Toon boss, Howe faces what could be a season-defining week with must-win home matches against Norwich and Burnley, and his side look set to come up short in the first of those.

The rest of the December schedule looks pretty horrific with trips to Leicester and Liverpool and home matches with Manchester City and Manchester United on the horizon, and it is imperative that Newcastle are not cut further adrift by the end of the year.

Newcastle's new owners are unlikely to hold back in January but potential new signings will want to see a genuine possibility of top-flight survival.

In any case it will be virtually impossible to overhaul an entire team, so Howe needs to identify a cohort of players he can rely on.

Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson are decent options up front but they need a better service and the defence has looked woefully inadequate.

Newcastle have conceded 29 goals, the most in the division, and Howe will be forced into two changes to the back four because left back Matt Ritchie and centre-back Jamaal Lascelles are serving one-match bans.

Second-bottom Norwich should look at the situation and sense a big opportunity.

They won 2-1 at Brentford in the last match under Daniel Farke and have picked up four points from six under Dean Smith to leave them three points from safety.

Smith's side are growing in confidence and were the better team in a 0-0 draw against Wolves on Saturday – winning the shot count 14 to six.

They were defensively solid at the weekend, with Grant Hanley and Ben Gibson forming a strong partnership, and carved out some excellent chances.

The Canaries are long odds-on for the drop but they do not see themselves as no-hopers in the survival scrap and look decent value to secure at least point, and maybe more, from their trip to Tyneside.

Key stat

Newcastle have not won any of their last 14 matches in all competitions.

Inside info

Newcastle

Penalty taker Callum Wilson
Free-kick wizard Jonjo Shelvey
Set-piece aerial threat Fabian Schar
Card magnet Callum Wilson

Norwich

Penalty taker Teemu Pukki
Free-kick wizardTeemu Pukki
Set-piece aerial threatGrant Hanley
Card magnetBrandon Williams

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