Rugby union: Friday Premiership & Pro14 tips and betting preview

Newcastle v Leicester
BT Sport 1, 7.45pm Friday
Pro14 matches
Premier Sports, FreeSports & S4C, 7.30pm Friday

Newcastle are favourites to beat Leicester in what could be a crucial clash in this season's Premiership relegation battle.

A year ago, the Falcons stunned Leicester with a late converted try at Welford Road to effectively end the Tigers' hopes of reaching the Premiership playoffs and book their own top-four berth,

Bookmakers expect the bottom-of-the-pile Falcons to edge out their illustrious tenth-placed visitors again and Leicester get a five-point handicap start.

Newcastle have won their last two home league matches against top-six chasers Sale and 11th-placed Worcester. The Tigers' tale of woe on the road is 11 straight defeats in all competitions including league reverses at the Warriors and ninth-placed Bristol.

They are also missing skipper Tom Youngs through suspension and England scrum-half Ben Youngs through injury.

The best-value bet in a contest that could open up looks to be Falcons' evergreen former Tigers flyer Vereniki Goneva to score a try.

Goneva, who has 27 league five-pointers since switching to Kingston Park, has touched down five times in the teams' last three meetings.

In the Pro14, Edinburgh are worth a wager to give up six points to Ulster in their crunch Conference B clash at Murrayfield.

Richard Cockerill's charges, who beat Leinster 28-11 in their last home league outing, responded to their Champions Cup quarter-final loss to Munster with a 20-12 success at Scarlets last Saturday. Ulster lost 30-7 at Glasgow following their European last-eight defeat to Leinster.

Both set-ups will be keen to know what is going on in Treviso, where fellow playoff chasers Benetton host a mixed Munster selection. The Red Army are safely in the Conference A top three as well as in the Champions Cup.

To finish bottom of the Premiership best odds: 8-5 Newcastle (Betfair, Paddy Power), 21-10 Worcester (Betfair, Paddy Power), 7-2 Leicester (BoyleSports), 7 Bristol (BoyleSports), 50 bar.

Recommendations
V Goneva to score a try
1pt 13-10 Betfair, Paddy Power
Edinburgh -6
1pt 10-11 bet365, Betway, BoyleSports

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