England Premier League
Saturday 15th January 2022
Kick off at 3pm GMT
Venue: St. James' Park
Match Preview:
This encounter feels like the one where Newcastle need to lay down their marker and show their quality and passion on the pitch. In a sense this feels like a new beginning for Newcastle after the transfer window opened up and the Magpies with their new found wealth have seized upon the opportunity to bolster their squad.
When Newcastle were taken over their social media channels blew up at the likes of who could come into the team. Kylian Mbappe was mentioned at one point and while that may have been a dream or a joke they have ended up with a new forward, however it is Chris Wood from Burnley. Still that isn’t to make light of the transfer as Newcastle have just taken a forward from their direct relegation rivals and put him in their team, so it could be a huge transfer come the end of the season. Kieran Trippier has also come into the team, this is a squad who should be fired up now and they need to forget their season up until now.
Not that we can and the reality is the Magpies are in 19th place with 11 points keep this up and they will end the season with 22 points. However time and money is on their side and they are facing the team in 17th place in Watford, win this and there is every possibility that Newcastle will be out of the bottom three. Form has been quite dreadful for Eddie Howe’s side with 3 defeats in a row followed up by a draw against Manchester United, that was credible indeed. However reality came back to bite the club last weekend as they were knocked out of the FA Cup at home against Cambridge- talk about pulling the plug out of the socket. This is why Newcastle need to bounce back here and get a good win.
Watford are in 17th place and hanging on but the problem Claudio Ranieri’s side has is that they have dropped six points behind 16th placed Leeds, although the Hornets have a game in hand over Marcelo Bielsa’s side. Form has been incredibly poor for Watford who have lost their last seven games. Their last match ended in a 1-0 loss against Tottenham and the killer in that game is the winner came in the 96th minute. The Hornets have also lost their last three games away from home, with their last away game ending in a defeat against Brentford.
Team News:
Newcastle: Ciaran Clark and Karl Darlow both are ill and are just 50/50 to make this game. Martin Dubravka has recovered from a recent toe injury and should now be available. Fernandez is out for another 3 weeks at least, Isaac Hayden is out until March with a knee injury. Callum Wilson is out until March also as he has a calf injury. Javier Manquillo misses this game because of suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season. Jamal Lewis is being tipped to return from his hamstring injury.
Watford: Imran Louza, Adam Masina and William Troost-Ekong are all missing as they are on international duty. Nicolas N’Koulou and Peter Etebo are both out for at least another four weeks. Ismaila Sarr could be back in three weeks from his knee injury.
Newcastle vs Watford Head to Head:
The clubs have played each other 48 times and Newcastle has 16 wins. Watford have 16 and there have been 16 draws.
In the last 11 meetings Newcastle has just 1 victory which last came in 2018 when at home they won 1-0.
The last 3 meetings in a row has seen both teams to score.
Earlier in the season the clubs drew 1-1.
Newcastle vs Watford Prediction:
All eyes will be on Newcastle and when they were not winning games at the end of last year the owners could delay the fact, they needed to invest in players. But despite a change of management Newcastle on the whole have looked poor.
The good news was their last league game at home showed promise in a draw with Manchester United. This is a game that must be won if the club are to push on and Watford look there for the taking with a depleted team which has been hit with some key injuries and the loss of three players due to the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Magpies are evens to win this game which could look like a brilliant price come late Saturday afternoon despite their recently poor record over the Hornets, we are going to take Howe’s side to win. We will also back Chris Wood to make an immediate impact and score his first goal for the club.
Newcastle vs Watford Betting Tips:
Newcastle to beat Watford at 2.00
Anytime goalscorer: Chris Wood at 2.25
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