Newcastle United versus Bournemouth is expected to be a close, competitive match, but the Magpies are being tapped as slight favorites to win at home.
Newcastle United and Bournemouth will meet for the first time this season at St. James’ Park, and based on the close results between these two sides over the past two seasons, we can expect another tight battle. The Magpies managed to score multiple goals for the first time in a match this season when they defeated West Ham United in London over the weekend, and Bournemouth are sitting pretty among the top seven after earning their third consecutive clean sheet when they beat Manchester United 1-0 on Saturday.
This match can go either way, but prediction calculations from FiveThirtyEight and Google have Newcastle United as slight favorites to take three points at St. James’ Park. The Magpies have been solid at home having lost only one of their five home matches this season, but they have dropped some crucial points to teams like Brighton (0-0) and Wolverhampton (1-1) on Tyneside.
Bournemouth’s away record consists of two victories, one draw and two defeats, with the two defeats being against Leicester City (1-3) and Arsenal (0-1). With this record in mind, it is fair to say that Bournemouth are not afraid to take the game to their opponents when they are on the road.
Newcastle United are Favorites to Win: Agree or Disagree?
I will have to agree with this one, however, a draw or even a loss would not come as a major surprise to me. Newcastle United are coming off a match in which they managed to score three impressive goals, and this was something the team needed in order to boost their confidence.
We can only hope that the Magpies’ performance in London was the start of a new offensive trend, but the primary reason why I think Newcastle United should be the favorites is because of their defensive record at home. The Magpies’ home record consists of one victory, three draws and one defeat, but the impressive statistic is that the back-line has only conceded three goals in five home matches. Bournemouth’s star players Callum Wilson, Joshua King and Ryan Fraser are certainly capable of scoring multiple goals in any given match, but I think they will struggle to break down the Magpies’ defense, especially if Fabian Schar returns from injury.