Newcastle v Manchester City

Newcastle welcome league leaders Manchester City at St. James Park on Sunday, May 6. Game starts at 13:30 GMT.

Teams News

Newcastle

Newcastle has a game due against Chelsea as of press time, but regardless of the result, they will have to pull off a dazzling performance to challenge a tough Manchester City side come Sunday. The recent string of fixtures is definitely taking a toll on the Toon, with Yohan Cabaye and Danny Simpson picking up knocks against Wigan. Alan Pardew, who is already missing 6 players to long term injuries, will hope that the pair can get back in shape in time for Man City.

Newcastle’s form is one of the best in the league at the moment – 15 points in six games pending the result against Chelsea. It has been a brilliant season so far for the Magpies, and with Champions League qualification still very well in their sights, a result against Man City will definitely be the icing on the cake they have magnificently baked since day one.

Manchester City

Winning the Manchester derby puts City on level terms with rivals United. They are now level in points, but with a superior goal difference, City is just two weeks away from that coveted EPL title.

If there’s anything scary about Manchester City right now, it’s the fact they are playing hungry. The last time they claimed the premiership title was way back in 1968, 44 long years ago. That could explain why they seemed to play with a level of desperation that United couldn’t match. Against any other EPL side, that desperation could have simply produced a demolition, as opposed to a slim 1-0 derby win.

Vincent Kompany scored the winner against United last time out – only his third goal of the season but arguably the most important one. Providing him the assist was David Silva who played his 100th game for City. Silva has already 14 assists in his bag this season making him the best goal-creator in the league so far.

Newcastle v Manchester City Betting Preview

Newcastle has not won a single game in their last six against the Citizens. If there’s any team now that can do United a good favour of forcing to drop points however, it’s them. Newcastle’s record at home is looking like a tough nut to crack, having only lost twice since the season commenced.

So will the Magpies be able to get something out of this game? Most probably, yes. They still have Europe to play for and they could catch Mancini and his visiting forces by surprise. Sir Alex Ferguson will definitely praying for the same.

Betting Tip

Verdict: A draw for this game at 1-1, and more twists and turns to come for the title race.

Tip: A draw at 3/1 is definitely tempting fate but it’s not an impossible dream at all. A fulltime score of 1-1 is even more tempting at 13/2, although this is seen to be a very long shot considering the four goals conceded by the Magpies against Wigan. Then again, Newcastle has the capability to be very good at the back on the club’s better days, so it’s a kneejerk punt worth the check.

All odds are from Bet365.com (£200 FREE BET!).