Prediction & odds for the game: Newcastle (17/4) v Leicester (8/13) – ST is backing the home win

When: Sunday, 3rd January @ 2.15pm K.O

Where: St James’ Park

Newcastle United will attempt to push themselves away from the relegation zone when they take on top four contenders Leicester City.

Newcastle

Even after being part of the management game for so many years, Steve Bruce still seems to be capable of landing big jobs – as proven by the fact that he’s still the boss at Newcastle United. Plenty of fans would much prefer to see a change of pace over the course of the next few months based on the lack of excitement within the first team’s play, but that doesn’t seem to be on the agenda right now.

The victory over West Brom on December 12th certainly feels like it took place a long time ago, especially when they lost 5-2 to Leeds just a few days later. They went on to draw 1-1 with Fulham before being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Brentford, and against Manchester City, they didn’t put up much of a fight in a 2-0 defeat – but they did have Karl Darlow to thank in a 0-0 draw with Liverpool.

Leicester

There’s definitely a realistic scenario in which Leicester City break into the big six conversation on a permanent basis, and if they can finish in a Champions League spot this season, their reputation as a top club will be well and truly cemented. Brendan Rodgers seems to be the right man for the job at the King Power Stadium, and as we look ahead to the future, you’d have to think the only way is up.

A 2-0 loss against Everton was the definition of a blip, whereas draws against Manchester United and Crystal Palace felt a bit foreign based on Leicester’s record so far this season. Elsewhere, the Foxes have been able to record big wins over AEK Athens, Brighton and Tottenham.

Conclusion

Leicester have a bad result in their locker every now and then and we’re fully expecting that to come back and bite them here. The Magpies are struggling to create much momentum for themselves but after the draw against Liverpool, you can bet they’re going to be feeling a whole lot more confident about this game. As such, we’re backing Newcastle to surprise the Foxes and pick up an impressive victory.

Our scoreline prediction is going to be 3-1 Newcastle, ensuring we hit the over 2.5 goals marker. It may not be very ‘Newcastle’ to score three goals in one game, especially against a team like Leicester, but we do think they’ve got a big performance in their back pocket.

Verdict: Back the home win at odds of 17/4 and the over 2.5 goals scored at odds of 10/11 (All odds are taken from bet365).

[geosnippet id=3620]

If you want to bet on Newcastle vs Leicester 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 we approach the always decisive month of January.