Prediction & odds for the game: Newcastle (11/4) v Leeds (10/11) – ST is backing the draw

When: Tuesday, 26th January @ 6pm K.O

Where: St James’ Park

Newcastle United and Leeds United will both attempt to push further away from the relegation battle when they meet on Tyneside later this week.

Newcastle

Newcastle United are facing the very real prospect of being dragged kicking and screaming into another relegation scrap if they don’t do something about the issues within their management. Steve Bruce may have been a reliable man to bring in and steady the ship back in the day, but we just don’t think that’s the case anymore. He looks done, the fans look done, and the Magpies are dropping like a stone in the Premier League table.

The 0-0 draw to round off 2020 seems so far away for a Newcastle side who just can’t seem to stop the bleeding. In 2021 they’ve been beaten by Leicester, Sheffield United, Arsenal and Aston Villa in the league, and they were also knocked out of the FA Cup by Arsenal.

Leeds

Leeds United don’t tend to earn as much praise nowadays as they did back at the start of the season, probably because they’ve been a frustrating team to play against for pretty much everyone else in the league. They have talent and they have the ability to match up to anyone else in the league, but we all know that just isn’t enough to make an honest push for the top half. For the rest of the campaign, their best bet is going to be ensuring their top flight survival.

The wins and clean sheets over Burnley and West Brom to end 2020 look impressive when glancing back at them, but things have been tricky outside of that for the Yorkshire side. They’ve been hit for six by Manchester United, beaten by Tottenham and Brighton and knocked out of the FA Cup in humiliating fashion by fourth-tier Crawley Town.

Conclusion

With Bruce’s job potentially being on the line, we think this could actually wind up being a far more competitive game than most fans would think. If Leeds are dragged into a brawl then they’re always more than happy to engage and moving forward, that’s going to be Newcastle’s best chance of surviving. They can’t keep playing such a negative style and we do believe they’re going to give as good as they get against Bielsa’s men, earning themselves a draw in the process.

Our scoreline prediction is going to be 2-2, meaning we hit the over 2.5 goals margin. That may be a bit optimistic given Newcastle’s style of play recently, but that’s what we’re going for.

Verdict: Back the draw at odds of 14/5 and the over 2.5 goals scored at odds of 8/11 (All odds are taken from bet365).

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If you want to bet on Newcastle vs Leeds then head on over to the betting page. Alternatively, you can check out some of the other available fixtures at the soccer predictions page as this season’s Premier League drama continues.