After a blowout loss to Arsenal, Newcastle United will try to get on track when they face Crystal Palace tomorrow.
Following a week off earlier this month, Newcastle United returned to action last week and were hammered by Arsenal, 4-0. Next up, Steve Bruce’s Magpies travel to Selhurst Park tomorrow to face Crystal Palace. We preview the Premier League contest.
Where the Clubs Stand
Newcastle United: 13th position, 31 points, -16 goal differential
Crystal Palace: 14th position, 30 points, -9 goal differential
Opposing Players to Watch
Wilfried Zaha: When it comes to Crystal Palace in recent years, it always starts with the electrifying winger. He brings the action out wide with his pace and aggressiveness. This season, he’s registered three goals and three assists.
James McArthur: The veteran Scottish midfielder leads the club in tackles and interceptions while sitting second-best in assists and passes.
Jordan Ayew: After playing for the Eagles on loan last season, Ayew is leading the club in goals this season with six EPL tallies this season following his permanent move over the summer. He’s added one assist and has 35 shots.
Analysis
Newcastle United will look to get the bad taste out of their mouths from the Arsenal defeat last weekend. Steve Bruce has done well to lead his side to quality results after big losses this season and they will have a good chance to rebound tomorrow.
To do so, they will need to break down a quality Palace defense. The Eagles have four clean sheets at Selhurst Park, but the last one came in early December and they have not won any of their last three matches.
The Magpies were able to defeat Palace earlier this season by a narrow margin. In that match, Newcastle United were outplayed for most of the action before Miguel Almiron scored the winner. In tomorrow’s fixture, we will likely see Bruce’s side bunker down defensively as usual and hope to strike on the break, potentially with Dwight Gayle up top.
Predictions
Durim Halimi: 1-1, D
Carson A. Merk: 1-0, W