Newcastle United vs Stoke City
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Today’s secondary featured game is the English Premier League game between high-flying Newcastle United and battling Stoke City.
Although not particularly impressive in their recent 2-0 win against Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United are on a fantastic run of form with five consecutive wins leading them into this game so confidence is high and momentum is definitely on their side today. Reports suggest that Pardew will have almost a full squad to choose from with some important players returning, including battleaxe Tiote, which will help the hosts greatly. In-form striker Cisse is set to lead the line and the scintillating Ben Arfa is in excellent form so it’s easy to see why Newcastle are doing so well at the moment. They’ve got an element of the old “Crazy Gang” spirit that Wimbledon used to have and that makes them hard to break down, both physically and mentally. Newcastle have a lot of goals in them nowadays and with a UEFA Champions League place hanging in the balance, only three points will suffice for the hosts today. Will they get them? They should do, really, although the odds are a bit of a joke. I admire Newcastle’s form but there’s only a handful of sides in the Premier League worthy of being around 4/7 against Stoke and Newcastle simply aren’t one of them.
Still, Stoke have been a little more vulnerable than normal on the road this season, generally going down without even scoring a goal. That said, they’ve bagged in two out of their last three away games in the Premier League and I see no reason for them to not do so here. The thing is with Stoke is that you have to be very careful as to when you back them and when you don’t. Remember that Stoke are especially good from set pieces and thus smaller/weaker sides tend to struggle against them. Newcastle aren’t either of those things but what they are without Steven Taylor at the heart of defence is vulnerable. Coloccini does a really good job but his associates aren’t as good as Taylor and his continued absence should hurt Newcastle in games like these. On paper, Newcastle’s record of late looks flawless but as much as I admire what they’ve achieved, they’ve still rode their luck by not conceding. I don’t think that Stoke will make any mistakes in front of goal today, given chance. They’ve got the strength to make it count and I do think that they’ll contribute to the scoreline here.
All in all, I think this game may be a shade tighter than the bookies do. Newcastle should win the game, yes, but I doubt it’ll be as convincing as the odds suggest. I think Stoke will score here but I do expect the hosts to ultimately overcome them as Stoke like to sit back a lot but Newcastle finally have the players to break through tough defences. Therefore, I’m going with a fairly risky but interesting over 2.5 goals at 9/10 today.
Verdict: Over 2.5 goals at 9/10.
Saturday’s Picks
Accumulator fodder:
Levadia Tallinn, Nomme Kalju, Shakhtyor Soligorsk, Fehervar, SSC Napoli, Suduva Marijampole, Zalgiris Vilnius, Ekranas Panevezys, Cruz Azul, Twente Enschede, Porto, Partizan Belgrade, Red Star Belgrade, Radnicki 1923, Slovan Bratislava, Shakhtar Donetsk.
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts to prevent endless questions about my thoughts on certain games!
Argentinian Primera Division:
Colon de Santa Fe vs Argentinos Juniors (7) 1-0
Atletico Rafaela vs Estudiantes De La Plata (5) 1-2
Velez Sarsfield vs Atletico Lanus (7) 2-0
Racing Club Avellaneda vs San Martin de San Juan (6) 1-0
Austrian Bundesliga:
Wacker Innsbruck vs Wiener Neustadt (6) 1-0
SV Kapfenberg vs Austria Vienna (6) 0-1
SV Mattersburg vs Admira Wacker (5) 1-1
Salzburg vs SV Ried (6) 2-1
Belarusian Vysshaya Liga:
Shakhtyor Soligorsk vs Dinamo Brest (8) 2-0
Torpedo Zhodino vs Belshina Bobriusk (5) 2-1
Dinamo Minsk vs BATE Borisov (6) 1-2, at least one red card in this game
Gomel vs Slavia Mozyr (7) 1-0
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Kortrijk vs AA Gent (5) 2-2
OH Leuven vs Mechelen (6) 1-0
Lierse SK vs Cercle Brugge (4) 1-1
Germinal Beerschot vs Zulte-Waregem (4) 1-2
Lokeren vs Mons (7) 2-1
Sint-Truiden vs Westerlo (4) 1-1
Bulgarian A PFG:
Lokomotiv Sofia vs Minior Pernik (4) 1-1
Chilean Primera Division:
O’Higgins vs Palestino (7) 2-0
Deportes Iquique vs Union La Calera (7) 1-0
Santiago Wanderers vs Union Espanola (7) 1-2
Universidad de Concepcion vs Huachipato (6) 1-1
Universidad Catolica vs La Serena (7) over 2.5 goals
Colombian Primera A:
Envigado vs Real Cartagena (5) 1-1
Partriotas vs Once Caldas Manizales (5) 1-2
Atletico Junior Barranquilla vs Deportes Tolima (6) 1-1
Deportes Quindio vs Itagui Ditaires (6) 1-0
Croatian Prva Liga:
Zadar vs Cibalia Vinkovci (5) 0-0
Sibenik vs Slaven Koprivnica (5) 1-0
Rijeka vs Dinamo Zagreb (4) 1-1
Hajduk Split vs Lucko (7) 2-1
Cypriot Division 1:
Omonia Nicosia vs Anorthosis Famagusta (5) 0-0
Nea Salamis vs Alki Larnaca (6) 2-1
Apollon Limassol vs AEK Larnaca (5) 1-2
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Marila Pribram vs Ceske Budejovice (6) 0-0
Danish Superligaen:
Aalborg BK vs Nordsjaelland (5) 0-1
Danish 1st Division:
Bronshoj vs Hobro (7)
Ecuadorian Primera A:
Independiente vs Tecnico Universitario (5) 1-0
English Premier League:
Arsenal vs Chelsea (5) 2-1
Aston Villa vs Sunderland (5) 0-1
Blackburn Rovers vs Norwich City (6) 2-1
Bolton Wanderers vs Swansea City (4) 1-2
Fulham vs Wigan Athletic (5) 2-2
Newcastle United vs Stoke City (7) 2-1
Queens Park Rangers vs Tottenham Hotspur (6) 1-2
English Championship:
Cardiff City vs Leeds United (7)
Hull City vs Nottingham Forest (6)
Coventry City vs Doncaster Rovers (6) over 2.5 goals
Reading vs Crystal Palace (7)
Ipswich Town vs Millwall (6)
Peterborough United vs Watford (5) over 2.5 goals
Portsmouth vs Derby County (5)
Blackpool vs Burnley (4) both sides to score
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Birmingham City (5)
Bristol City vs Barnsley (6) over 2.5 goals
Middlesbrough vs Southampton (6)
Estonian Meistriliiga:
Flora Tallinn vs Trans Narva (7) 2-0
Sillamae Kalev vs Viljandi (7) 2-1
Maag Tammeka Tartu vs Nomme Kalju (9) 0-2
Levadia Tallinn vs Flora Paide (8) 1-0
Kuressaare vs Tallinna Kalev (6) 1-0
Faroese Meistaradeildin:
B36 Torshavn vs EB/Streymur (6) over 2.5 goals, both sides to score
IF Fuglafjordur vs Vikingur Gotu (6) 1-0
NSI Runavik vs HB Torshavn (5) 1-1
Suduroy vs B68 Toftir (5) 1-2
KI Klaksvik vs TB Tvoroyri (6) 2-1
French Ligue 1:
Stade Brestois vs Stade Rennais (6) 1-1
Stade Malherbe de Caen vs Saint-Etienne (4) 2-2
Dijon FCO vs LOSC Lille (7) 1-2
Evian Thonon Gaillard vs Toulouse (6) 2-1
Montpellier HSC vs Valenciennes (7) 2-0
OGC Nice vs Auxerre (6) 1-1
Girondins de Bordeaux vs Olympique de Marseille (6) 1-0
German Bundesliga:
Werder Bremen vs Bayern Munich (6) 1-2
Nurnberg vs Hamburger SV (7) 1-0
Hoffenheim vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen (5) 1-2
Koln vs VfB Stuttgart (5) 2-2
Hertha BSC Berlin vs Kaiserslautern (6) 1-0
Bv09 Borussia Dortmund vs Borussia Moenchengladbach (7) 2-0
Hungarian Soproni Liga:
Zalaegerszegi TE vs Fehervar (9) 0-2
Fenercvaros vs Kecskemeti TE (5) 1-1
Pecsi MFC vs Paksi SE (6) 2-1
Szombathelyi Haladas vs Ujpest (6) 2-1
Vasas Budapest vs Lombard Papa (7) 2-0
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Hapoel Tel-Aviv vs Bnei Sakhnin (7) 1-0
Ironi Kiryat Shmona vs MS Ashdod (4) 1-1
Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv vs Maccabi Haifa (5) 1-1
Hapoel Acre vs Hapoel Haifa (4) 0-1
Hapoel Rishon Lezion vs Hapoel Be’er Sheva (5) 1-0
Hapoel Petah Tikva vs Maccabi Petah Tikva (5) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
Italian Serie A:
Parma vs Cagliari (5) 1-1
Chievo Verona vs Udinese (6) 0-0
Catania vs Atalanta Bergamo (6) 2-1
SSC Napoli vs Novara (8) 2-0
Latvian Virsliga:
Daugava Riga vs Spartaks Jurmala (6) 1-0
Lithuanian A Lyga:
Atlantas vs Ekranas Panevezys (9) 0-2
Kruoja Pakruojis vs Suduva Marijampole (8) 0-2
Vilnius vs Zalgiris Vilnius (8) 0-2
Mexican Primera Division:
Cruz Azul vs Estudiantes Tecos (8) 2-0
Queretaro vs Toluca (6) 1-1
San Luis vs Tijuana (5) 1-0
Santos Laguna vs Tigres UANL (6) 2-1
Guadalajara vs Atlas (7) 2-0
Monterrey vs Pachuca (7) 2-1
Dutch Eredivisie:
Heerenveen vs Vitesse Arnhem (6) 2-2
De Graafschap vs Heracles Almelo (7) 1-2
RKC Waalwijk vs FC Utrecht (7) 2-1
Excelsior Rotterdam vs Twente Enschede (8) 0-2
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Haugesund vs Brann Bergen (7) 2-1
Paraguayan Division Profesional:
Olimpia Asuncion vs Cerro Porteno PF (7) 2-0
Peruvian Primera Division:
Inti Gas vs Alianza Lima (6) 0-1
Cobresol vs Universidad San Martin (5) 0-1
Sport Boys vs Real Atletico Garcilaso (6) 1-0
Universitario Lima vs Leon de Huanuco (7) 2-0
Polish Ekstraklasa:
Legia Warsaw vs Lech Poznan (7) 1-0
Jagiellonia Bialystok vs Gornik Zabrze (4) 0-1
Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala vs Wisla Krakow (7) 1-2
Polish Liga 1:
Wisla Plock vs Bogdanka Leczna (6)
Pogon Szczecin vs Flota Swinoujscie (6)
Arka Gdynia vs Kolejarz Stroze (7)
Zawisza Bydgoszcz vs Katowice (6)
Sandecja Nowy Sacz vs Olimpia Elblag (6) over 2.5 goals
Portuguese Liga Sagres:
SL Benfica vs Maritimo Funchal (7) over 2.5 goals
Vitoria Guimaraes vs Uniao de Leiria (6) 1-0
Porto vs Beira-Mar (8) 2-0
Romanian Liga:
Mioveni vs Rapid Bucharest (6) 1-1
Russian Premier League:
Amkar Perm’ vs Spartak Nal’chik (6) 1-0
Volga Nizhnyi Novgorod vs Tom’ Tomsk (6) 2-1
Dinamo Moscow vs CSKA Moscow (4) 1-1
Kuban’ Krasnodar vs Zenit St.Petersburg (7) 0-1
Scottish Premier League:
St.Johnstone vs Dundee United (5) 1-2
Hearts vs Rangers (6) 1-2
Inverness Caledonian Thistle vs Aberdeen (4) 0-1
St.Mirren vs Dunfermline Athletic (6) 2-1
Serbian Superliga:
Radnicki 1923 vs Novi Pazar (8) 2-0
Borac Cacak vs OFK Belgrade (5) 1-1
BSK Borca vs Jagodina (6) 1-0
Smederevo vs Partizan Belgrade (8) 1-2
Javor Ivanjica vs Rad Belgrade (5) 1-2
Spartak Subotica vs Vojvodina Novi Sad (6) 0-0
Red Star Belgrade vs Sevojno (8) over 2.5 goals
Slovakian Corgon Liga:
Kosice vs Nitra (5) 1-0
Slovan Bratislava vs Zlate Moravce (8) 2-0
Trencin vs DAC Dunajska Streda (7) 2-1
Tatran Presov vs Ruzomberok (4) 1-1
Senica vs Dukla Banska Bystrica (7) 2-0
Slovenian Prva Liga:
Koper vs Domzale (4) 1-1
Spanish Primera Liga:
Real Mallorca vs Real Zaragoza (6) 2-1
Sporting Gijon vs Rayo Vallecano de Madrid (5) 2-2
Barcelona vs Real Madrid (7) over 2.5 goals
Sevilla CF vs Levante (5) 1-1
Spanish Segunda Liga:
Cartagena vs Almeria (7)
Recreativo de Huelva vs Alcoyano (7)
Guadalajara vs Gimnastic de Tarragona (5)
Alcorcon vs Cordoba (7)
Sabadell vs Girona (4)
Hercules Alicante vs Celta de Vigo (5)
Huesca vs Numancia (5)
Deportivo Xerez vs Las Palmas (7)
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Atvidaberg vs Helsingborg (4) 2-1
Kalmar FF vs Gefle (7) 2-1
Swiss Super League:
Luzern vs Servette (7) 2-0
Thun vs Grasshopper Zurich (7) 1-0
Swiss Challenge League:
Biel-Bienne vs Lugano (7)
Winterthur vs Etoile Carouge (7)
St.Gallen vs Bellinzona (6)
Chiasso vs Wil (7)
Locarno vs Delemont (6)
Turkish Super Lig:
Trabzonspor vs Besiktas JK (6) 1-0
Bursaspor vs Istanbul BB (7) 2-1
Eskisehirspor vs Sivasspor (6) 1-1
Ukrainian Premier League:
Dnipro Dnepropetrovsk vs Obolon’ Kiev (7) 2-0
Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih vs Metalurg Donetsk (6) 1-1
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Tavriya Simferopol (8) 2-1
Uruguayan Primera Division:
Racing Club Montevideo vs Danubio (5) 1-1
Cerrito vs Rampla Juniors (6) 1-0
Rentistas vs Club Nacional de Montevideo (7) 1-2
Welsh Premier League:
Neath Athletic vs Llanelli (6) 1-1
Prestatyn Town vs Bala Town (7) 2-1
The New Saints vs Bangor City (5) 2-2
Aberystwyth Town vs Newtown (5) 1-0
Afan Lido vs Airbus UK (7) 2-1
Port Talbot Town vs Carmarthen Town (6) 2-1
Enjoy your free betting tips!