Matchday 16 of the Premier League between Newcastle and Leicester will take place on December 14 at St. James' Park in Newcastle upon Tyne. Newcastle vs. Leicester: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Thomas Bramall (England)
Matches – 5 (Premier League and Championship, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 19;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.8;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 21;
Penalties – 0%.
Predicted lineups for Newcastle vs. Leicester
Newcastle (4-3-3): Nick Pope – Lewis Hall, Valentino Livramento, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn – Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff – Harvey Barnes, Alexander Isak, Jacob Murphy.
Leicester (4-2-3-1): Mads Hermansen – Jannik Vestergaard, Conor Coady, Victor Kristiansen, James Justin – Wilfred Ndidi, Boubakary Soumare – Jordan Ayew, Bilal El Khannous, Kasey McAteer – Jamie Vardy.
The starting lineup for each team in their previous match in this tournament is listed.
Newcastle
Eddie Howe's side suffered a 2-4 defeat away to Brentford in the last round. The last time the club conceded more than three goals in the Premier League was in February this year against Arsenal (1-4). Additionally, the team has not won in the league for four matches (2 draws and 2 losses). As a result, Newcastle has dropped to 12th place, yet they are only 4 points away from the European competition zone.
- In the last 11 Premier League matches, the club has only secured two wins (4 draws and 5 losses).
- Both teams scored in 15 of Newcastle's last 20 league matches.
- Exactly 1 goal was scored in the first 45 minutes in the club's last seven Premier League games.
Leicester
Leicester played their last two league matches at home, earning four points. At King Power Stadium, the club defeated West Ham 3-1 and drew 2-2 with Brighton. In the match against Brighton, Ruud van Nistelrooy's side was trailing 0-2 by the 86th minute. Leicester has slightly improved their league position, but the gap from the bottom three is still small – only 5 points.
Midfielder Boubakary Soumare will miss the match due to suspension.
- In the last seven Premier League games, Leicester has only achieved one win (2 draws and 4 losses).
- Both teams scored in 14 of Leicester's last 16 league matches.
- At least three goals were scored in the club's last five Premier League games.
Newcastle vs. Leicester: Match Prediction
The arrival of Ruud van Nistelrooy as manager has positively impacted Leicester, with victories over West Ham and a comeback draw against Brighton. Van Nistelrooy's unbeaten run this season is now six matches, with four wins and two draws (including matches against Manchester United in the Premier League, English League Cup, and Europa League). I'm not sure if this streak will continue in this match, but Leicester should at least score one goal. After all, Leicester has a decent attack, scoring in 15 of their last 16 Premier League games.
Newcastle has been very inconsistent this season. The team can easily rise to the Champions League zone soon, but they can also drop closer to the bottom three. Therefore, I won't risk betting on their victory and will instead opt for a bet on both teams to score. Eddie Howe's side scored in 6 of their last 7 Premier League games, although they conceded in 12 of their last 14 league matches. Additionally, Leicester has scored in 5 of their last 6 league meetings at St. James' Park.
My prediction – Both teams to score – yes
