English Premier
2011-11-05 - Newcastle United vs Everton
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football : English Premier League
Saturday 5 November 2011 - Kickoff 12:45pm
This game is live on TV
Newcastle United
I thought a trip to the Brittania Stadium would bring the Magpies down to Earth after they have been flying high in the Premier League this season, but it seems they are not quite ready to give up their fast start. A 1-3 win at Stoke is impressive and maybe Alan Pardew's team are for real, although games with Everton, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea over the next month will tell us a lot more about them.
The 3 points gained on Monday Night means Newcastle United took sole possession of 3rd place in the League and it says something about this team that they have only gained 1 point less than Manchester United over the first 10 games this season. They remain unbeaten in the League and bring in a 3-2-0 record at home, scoring 8 goals and conceding 4.
Newcastle have now won 4 of their last 5 games in the Premier League and they have scored at least 2 goals in 4 of those games as Alan Pardew has really got the best out of a small squad. They have won 3 of their last 4 games at St James' Park and they have scored at least 2 goals in 3 of those games.
Mike Williamson could make his return to the squad for this game if he can pass a fitness test, but Cheik Tiote is doubtful after missing the last game. Gabriel Obertan is out for a couple of weeks with a toe injury and there are no other injury worries for the team since Monday night.
Everton
David Moyes warned the supporters before the season began that this was likely to be a tough season in store for his stretched squad and a top half finish would be an achievement. While they are currently in the wrong side of the table, I believe Everton will be fine this season as they have shown a lot of character in recent games, even if they haven't picked up the points their performances perhaps deserve.
Everton played well against Manchester United last weekend, but a lack of creativity in the final third hurt them in a 0-1 loss. That defeat saw the Toffees fall down to 16th in the table due to their inferior goal difference, although the team do have 1 game in hand over 18 of the 19 other teams in the League. Everton are 2-0-2 away from home this season, scoring 5 goals and conceding 6.
The team have lost 4 of their last 5 Premier League games, but they have faced Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United in that time (all losses) while beating Fulham 1-3 in their last away game. Everton have won 2 of their last 7 away games in the Premier League.
Sylvain Distin and Tim Cahill both missed the game last Saturday and will need late fitness tests to be involved in this game. Phil Neville is another doubt, while Marouane Fellaini is suspended having picked up another yellow card last week.
Head to Head
Everton won this corresponding fixture 1-2 last season after coming from 1-0 down.
Newcastle have won just 1 of their last 4 games at home against Everton, all in the Premier League.
Prediction
This should be an interesting game on Saturday between two sides who are fairly evenly matched, even if the League form suggests they are wide apart.
Newcastle have been excellent in their performances this season, the one exception being a poor performance at QPR, and they fully deserve their position in the League, even though they are yet to face the biggest tests they can. That will all change in the next month as they meet some of the top teams in England, but they cannot underestimate Everton.
The Toffees look like they are struggling considering their League position, but they have one extra game to play than most of the other teams and really have come through the toughest set of fixtures they could have got. Their wins at Blackburn and Fulham at least shows they will be competitive against the lesser teams in the League.
I think picking a winner is quite difficult as I believe both teams are closer in quality than some may think. What I do think will happen is that we will see a few goals as both teams have looked in decent nick going forward of late, while the defences are not exactly watertight.
Newcastle have a strong record recent in scoring at least a couple of goals a game, while Everton have shown themselves capable of scoring goals against the lesser teams. The 'Over 2.5 Goals' market seems to be underestimating the chances of it happening and the 2.10 looks a little big to me here.
I'll have an interest in the goals market here.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Newcastle United 2-2 Everton
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.10
