English Premier
2019-01-19 - Newcastle United vs Cardiff City
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 19th January 2019 - Kick Off 3pm
Newcastle United
A battling loss at Chelsea in the Premier League does not really matter a great deal to Rafa Benitez because it was a loss that has left Newcastle United inside the bottom three of the Premier League. It is more likely the manager would leave the club than new players were signed in the January transfer window and the FA Cup win at Blackburn Rovers during the week came at a cost with injures to key players.
All in all it is a difficult time for Newcastle United who fell into the bottom three thanks to positive results earned by Cardiff City and Southampton last weekend. They are just a point behind The Bluebirds who visit St James' Park this weekend in what is a huge game for both clubs. The Magpies have a 2-1-8 record at home in the Premier League this season which won't be inspiring anyone.
Newcastle United needed Extra Time and a controversial goal to beat Championship Blackburn Rovers during the week, but that means they have not won a game in ninety minutes in 7 in all competitions. They have not won any of their last 5 at St James' Park in all competitions, but Newcastle United have drawn 2 of the last 3 here.
Kenedy could be available for selection, but the likes of Ciaran Clark, Jamaal Lascelles, Mohamed Diame and Jonjo Shelvey are all doubts.
Cardiff City
His views on Brexit may not be everyone's cup of team, but Neil Warnock does deserve some credit for the way he has managed to extract every ounce of effort from his Cardiff City players. Reinforcements were needed to give Cardiff City every chance of avoiding the drop and it looks like two new strikers are going to arrive with Oumar Niasse already through the door and available for selection on Saturday.
A home draw with Huddersfield Town is not the best result, but it was a point that means Cardiff City remain in 17th place in the Premier League table and a single point clear of their hosts inside the bottom three. The Bluebirds have a 1-2-7 away record in the Premier League having scored just 6 goals and conceded 18 in those games. They are the lowest away scorers in the Division so bringing in strikers should not be a surprise to anyone.
Cardiff City have won 1 of their last 7 games in all competitions and that came in the one game in which they have scored in their last 5. They did win their last away Premier League game at Leicester City by a 0-1 scoreline at the King Power Stadium, but since then Cardiff City have been knocked out of the FA Cup at League One Gillingham.
Oumar Niasse is available, but a lack of game time at Everton may mean a start on the bench for this one. Callum Paterson, Victor Camarasa, Danny Ward, Jazz Richards and Kenneth Zohore are all doubts.
Head to Head
These teams played out a goalless draw in Wales earlier this season.
Newcastle United have won 9 straight home League games against Cardiff City, although they meet for the first time here since November 2016.
Prediction
There is going to be a lot of tension in and around the Stadium prior to kick off and once this fixture begins with 18th placed Newcastle United hosting 17th placed Cardiff City and just a single point separating these relegation rivals.
In the last couple of seasons this is the kind of game where Rafa Benitez manages to extract a big performance out of his players, but injuries are hitting Newcastle United very hard at the moment. They look short at both ends of the field, but the same can be said for Cardiff City and both Benitez and Neil Warnock are likely going to set their teams up to be hard to beat.
The onus is on Benitez with Newcastle United hosting this fixture, but the pressure of the big home support has made this a very difficult environment in which the players can thrive. A poor home run where goals have been hard to come by makes it very difficult to trust Newcastle United, but they will be boosted by the fact that Cardiff City have arguably had even more issues in the final third.
Oumar Niasse is the first of two players that Warnock is looking to sign to change that, but he will need time to rebuild match sharpness and I think it is going to be a game in which the Cardiff City manager would take a point right now.
I am finding it very difficult to pick a winner in a match that literally may need a single goal to decide it. Neither team is blessed with a lot of goals and the two managers can set their teams up to be very difficult to break down so I do feel one, or perhaps even both, of these teams will fail to score.
They already had one goalless draw this season so backing at least one to fail to net is my selection here.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Newcastle United 1-0 Cardiff City
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back Both Teams to Score- NO @ 1.83 BetVictor
