English Premier
2011-10-31 - Stoke City vs Newcastle United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football : English Premier League
Monday 31 October 2011 - Kickoff 8pm
This game is live on TV
Stoke City
An exit at the last 16 stage of the Carling Cup was a disappointment for Tony Pulis and the management staff at Stoke City, but it could also be a blessing in disguise as they have already played a lot of games this season that could take its toll on the squad.
I am sure that the Stoke players are also happy they have been given an extra day of recovery than expected with an appearance on Monday Night Football.
Stoke are sitting 9th in the Premier League table and also have European commitments this season, ones they are fulfilling very well at the moment.
Stoke remain much stronger at the Brittania Stadium where they are 2-2-0 this season, scoring 4 goals and conceding 1, but it is also telling that they have played Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United in those games.
The Potters loss to Liverpool on Wednesday night in the Carling Cup means they have lost back to back games. Stoke had also been unbeaten at home all season before that loss, which snapped a 3 game winning run here. Stoke have only conceded 5 goals in their 10 games at home this season.
Danny Higginbotham could be back in the squad as he recovers from his ACL injury that has kept him out of action for months. There should be a few changes made to the starting line up for this game with the likes of Asmir Begovic, Jermaine Pennant and Peter Crouch expected back in the squad.
Newcastle United
The Newcastle United fans must have been disappointed with their exit from the Carling Cup as there were some real signs that they could actually end their long trophy drought in that competition considering their strong start to the season.
The Toon Army should be proud of the teams efforts that saw them maintain their unbeaten start to the season (in the normal 90 minutes) as they fought back from 2-0 down with 2 injury time goals, only to lose 4-3 to Blackburn in extra time.
Newcastle have been probably the biggest surprises in the Premier League so far this season as Alan Pardew has guided them up to 4th in the table, maintaining an unbeaten run and picking up 19 points from their games. They have been resilient away from home where they are 2-2-0, scoring 4 goals and just conceding 2, giving them the best away defence in the League so far.
The Newcastle team have won 3 of their last 4 League games coming into this one, the latest of those coming in a 1-0 win over Wigan last weekend. The Magpies have been riding their luck away from home in the League in recent games, winning at Wolves 1-2 when the officials made two crucial mistakes, while also earning a draw at QPR in a game the home side dominated. Newcastle have drawn 5 of their last 6 games away from home in all competitions (within the normal 90 minutes period).
Steven Taylor and Cheik Tiote missed the Carling Cup game at Blackburn, with the former expected to return for this game while the latter needs a late fitness test. Shola Ameobi is out until December at the earliest.
Head to Head
Stoke beat Newcastle 4-0 here last season, a result that saw the Potters complete the double over the Geordies.
Their previous Premier League meeting here ended 1-1 when Newcastle equalised late through Andy Carroll.
Prediction
Stoke City are a very good home team and I think Tony Pulis will be looking at games like these as ones his team need to win to ensure they don't get dragged into a relegation battle. The stadium should be rocking for a night game and they have been very good at home ever since they moved up to the Premier League.
Newcastle looked like they were finally going to be beaten when down 2-0 at Blackburn and with just minutes left, but the team showed plenty of character to come back and force extra time. They have been a little fortunate to not have lost at QPR earlier this season, but they have worked on their defensive side of the game and are making life tough for teams to beat them.
I am going to back Stoke here to end Newcastle's unbeaten start to the Premier League season- they have a very good home record and I expect they will eventually wear the away side down, although it should be a tight game.
Newcastle have played well this season, but this is their toughest test so far and I think they may come up a little short.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Stoke City 1-0 Newcastle United
