Newcastle United aim to rebound from Monday’s loss with three crucial points on the line against Crystal Palace tomorrow.
Rafa Benitez was visibly disappointed with the way Newcastle United failed to threaten Arsenal on Monday and the Spaniard will make sure his team is ready for action tomorrow. Crystal Palace also lost their last game and they will be looking to rebound against the Magpies on the road.
Of all the games this weekend, this bottom-half clash is the most difficult to predict. Both teams are evenly matched and only one point separates them in the league standings. The last meeting ended in a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park, but a win tomorrow for either side would guarantee their safety for next season. The Toon are being picked as slight favorites in this match, but they had plenty of things to improve on since Monday night’s defeat.
What to Expect
Both sets of supporters could very well be set to witness one of the most open games of the season where primary emphasis is placed on attacking the opposition for 90 minutes. Newcastle and Crystal Palace are both fighting for three points to maintain their comfortable gap with Cardiff City, so a lack of urgency should not be a problem tomorrow.
Newcastle have been stellar at home in 2019 and they are currently enjoying a five-game winning streak on Tyneside. The Toon are now one of the most dangerous teams in the league when they play in front of their home crowd and this does not bode well for Crystal Palace.
📸 ICYMI: Check out our gallery from yesterday's training session as the players prepared for the weekend's game against @CPFC.https://t.co/mbP93uROPX #NUFC pic.twitter.com/5PqtLr9wxZ
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) April 4, 2019
What does go in the visitor’s favor, however, is their dynamic attack. In addition to having plenty of talent up top in Wilfried Zaha, Michy Batshuayi and Andros Townsend, Crystal Palace are one of the top teams in the league when it comes to scoring from set pieces and penalty kicks. This means that Newcastle’s back-line must be alert and timely with their tackles in and around the penalty area.
The most likely outcome for this game is a low-scoring, if not 0-0, draw, however, the level of urgency we should expect tomorrow leads me to believe that one team will take all three points. That being said, it is prediction time…
Prediction: Newcastle United 1-0 Crystal Palace
Hot Take: Miguel Almiron scores his first goal tomorrow.