STAR PREVIEW Fri: Newcastle United v Leeds United

Football fans have enjoyed plenty of goals this week in the Champions League and we could be in for more action when Newcastle host Leeds this evening.

This has been a bad start to the season for Newcastle, who’ve taken just a point from their opening three Premier League matches, with the point coming against a Southampton side that won the shot count 22-10 at St James’s Park in a 2-2 draw.

An EFL Cup exit to Burnley didn’t help matters and the off-field situation appears to be worse than the on field one, with the Daily Mail reporting that players are losing faith in Steve Bruce and his tactics whilst there was supposedly a physical altercation between assistant manager Graeme Jones and striker Dwight Gayle, with captain Jamaal Lascelles forced to step in.

The outlook for them is bleak, especially if Callum Wilson’s thigh injury continues to be a major problem, but they have managed to score in three of their four Premier League games. In Miguel Almiron, Joe Willock, and Allan Saint-Maximin they do have players with genuine threats going forward and they should be targeting a Leeds side which has been incredibly open.

Newcastle United v Leeds United
Premier League
20:00 Sky Sports Main Event HD / Sky Sports Premier League HD

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
(Maximum 10 matches)

JAN 2021 PREMIER LEAGUE Newcastle 1-2 Leeds
DEC 2020 PREMIER LEAGUE Leeds 5-2 Newcastle
APR 2017 CHAMPIONSHIP Newcastle 1-1 Leeds
NOV 2016 CHAMPIONSHIP Leeds 0-2 Newcastle
SEP 2013 CAPITAL ONE CUP Newcastle 2-0 Leeds
JAN 2004 PREMIERSHIP Newcastle 1-0 Leeds
AUG 2003 PREMIERSHIP Leeds 2-2 Newcastle
FEB 2003 PREMIERSHIP Leeds 0-3 Newcastle
SEP 2002 PREMIERSHIP Newcastle 0-2 Leeds
JAN 2002 PREMIERSHIP Newcastle 3-1 Leeds

Leeds have struggled so far this season – albeit with a very hard fixture list – and Marcelo Bielsa has yet more defensive concerns. Pascal Struijk is suspended following his red card against Liverpool whilst Diego Llorente limped off. Leeds were already missing Robin Koch, meaning that they could have just one centre-back for tonight’s game, and Junior Firpo and Luke Ayling also looked out of sorts last week.

However it’s easy to forget that Leeds still pack a punch going forward and in the shape of Kalvin Phillips, Rodrigo, Raphina, Jack Harrison and Patrick Bamford they have the tools to hurt any side in the division, and they will be confident of making their mark against a weak looking Newcastle side.

5/4 about the visitors is understandable given the apparent gulf in class – Leeds finished 14 points clear of Newcastle and did the double over them last season – but backing over 2.5 goals could be the better bet.

These two teams have conceded 23 goals between them (Leeds 11, Newcastle 12) and in eight games played between the two, six have seen 3 goals or more. Indeed 3 of Newcastle’s four games have seen over 3.5 goals, which could also be worth considering.

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⚠️ Stakes advised on a scale of 0-10 points depending on confidence from our preview team

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