Newcastle United vs Manchester City: Big Spenders Meet In Fascinating Clash
Sunday 21st August - 16:30
Rightly or wrongly, many pundits and fans are drawing parallels between Newcastle United and Manchester City. The level of funding now available to the St James’ Park side is being compared to how their visitors were similarly backed when, back in 2008, investment came in from Abu Dhabi.
It goes without saying that fans of the Toon Army would be very happy to see their club get even close to the level that Manchester City have attained over the past decade or so, and it’s a reality that is perhaps not so unbelievable, especially when you consider the size of their fanbase.
It will be another full house at St James’ Park when Manchester City come to visit, and it’s a match that will be far tighter than in previous years; such has been the progress under Eddie Howe over the past 18 months.
Dark Times at Old TraffordSensible Investment
The club moved very wisely in the transfer market in their first windows since the takeover by their new owners, and rather than pursue big-name signings who might just turn up for a pay day; Howe has made a point of bringing in players who can provide a sensible base to build from.
There has been a push to sign talents with Premier League experience, and the captures of Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Dan Burn and Bruno Guimaraes helped to more than secure their top-tier status after they arrived in January, along with the initial loan capture of Matt Targett.
Howe took over at the club in November when the team were 19th in the table and without a win, and the former Bournemouth man got to work straight away.
Newcastle United put in title-winning form from late January, winning 12 of their final 18 matches to see them finish in 11th place and offering their fans the chance to dream of further progress in 2022/23, and thus far, that’s proven the case.
In terms of the Premier League betting odds, Newcastle United are now considered by many punters as a decent outside shot for a top-six finish, and they’ve started the season in solid fashion.
In their first game of the season, they eased to a home win over newly promoted Nottingham Forest, thanks to goals from Fabian Schar and Callum Wilson and last weekend, they secured a solid draw away at Brighton.
The summer signings of Nick Pope, Sven Botman and Matt Targett, on a permanent deal from Aston Villa, helped to boost the club’s strength in potentially weak areas, and they may well offer a stern challenge for Pep Guardiola’s men.
Normal Service Has Resumed
Manchester City are considered by many as a safe bet to clinch yet another Premier League crown, having won four of the past five titles, and Guardiola has invested further to make his side all the more of a challenge for the opposition.
Signing young goal machine Erling Haaland is sure to be a real game changer as Man City push for a maiden Champions League crown, and the big Norwegian is sure to be a handful for Premier League defences.
Indeed the 22-year-old netted twice on his debut at West Ham and played his part in City’s 4-0 home drubbing of Bournemouth.
Guardiola elected to offload first-team squad regulars Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, and Oleksandr Zinchenko, all to fellow Premier League opposition, but still have a stunning squad and are already sitting pretty at the top of the table.
There is no lack of desire among Guardiola’s players, and as such, it’s a good bet they’ll be heading the table for some time to come, but is there a chance they could slip up away at Newcastle United?
Best Bets
Newcastle United to Draw with Manchester City - 4/1
While backing Newcastle United to beat Manchester City might be a bit too much of a mountain to climb, a bet on the home side to hold the reigning champions is a decent option to consider.
Newcastle United are solid at the back, especially at home, where they’ve conceded just six in their last 11 fixtures dating back to the last time City took them on when they lost 4-0, albeit that was prior to the clever investment Howe made in his squad in January.
The fact that Guardiola’s main challengers, Liverpool, have started the season with two draws, the idea of a stalemate at Newcastle United seems even more plausible; in other words, would the Spaniard throw caution to the wind in pursuit of a win if they got to the last quarter of the match level?
