Newcastle United will host Leicester City at St. James’ Park this weekend and the Magpies need three points to climb out of the relegation zone.
After stealing a point from a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace on Saturday, Newcastle United now turn their attention to the 2015-16 Premier League champions, Leicester City. With two points from six matches, Newcastle are currently 18th in the table. Leicester City are off to a decent start as they sit in 9th place with a performance record of three victories and three losses.
The match between the Magpies and the Foxes will be interesting because both teams are inconsistent, which makes it difficult to predict their form. Newcastle’s slow start to the 2018-19 Premier League campaign was expected as four of their first five matches were against Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Leicester City’s toughest opponents thus far have been Manchester United (2-1 loss) and Liverpool (2-1 loss). The Foxes have handled business against Wolverhampton, Southampton and Huddersfield Town, but they were also destroyed by Bournemouth on the road.
Can Newcastle Win?
Seeing that Newcastle will be playing a mid-table side at home for the first time this season, a victory for the Magpies is probable. The exact probability of a victory against a quick and aggressive Leicester City side depends on the lineup Rafa Benitez decides to deploy and how much emphasis will be placed on attack.
The expectation for Newcastle in their match against Crystal Palace over the weekend was that the Magpies would try and take it to the Eagles on the road. Well, that did not happen. Crystal Palace essentially walked all over a Newcastle side that was quite obviously playing for a point.
The loss of Riyad Mahrez has hurt Leicester City, but his departure to Manchester City has not been detrimental to the club. Leicester City still have a solid midfield with plenty of pace that can cause problems for every defense in the Premier League. Moreover, Jamie Vardy is still a dangerous striker who can be a difference-maker in matches, especially against mediocre teams like Newcastle.
Prediction: Newcastle vs. Leicester City
Despite playing some top teams early on, the match this weekend will most likely be the most competitive, back-and-forth match for Newcastle so far this term. Leicester City do not like to settle for draws and they are not afraid to take risks against opponents. Newcastle, on the other hand, owe it to their supporters to give maximum effort and play with a high level of urgency for 90 minutes.
Overall, I think Newcastle will turn their desperation into motivation on Saturday and will win their first match of the season by a score of 1-0.