Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, and Southampton have fewer options in their hands if they are to stay in the Premier League.
Southampton is placed bottom with Leeds United just a position above them and with just four games remaining, the duo have an enormous task of staying afloat as they are against teams out to finish strongly.
We look at some of the enticing matchups on Saturday.
Leeds v Newcastle United
This will be Sam Allardyce’s second game in charge of Leeds after losing his first game against Manchester City in their last outing; the 2-1 defeat plunged them deeper into the relegation zone.
They head into the weekend sitting in 19th position in the table, two points adrift of safety, with just three more games to play. And after taking on Newcastle, they will finish the campaign with matches against West Ham and Tottenham.
On Newcastle’s side, after losing to Arsenal in the past weekend, they will be hoping for more success in front of goal than in the reverse fixture on Tyneside on New Year’s Eve, with that game having finished in a goalless draw.
Their recent record at Elland Road is pretty good, with Newcastle having lost just two of their last eight matches at Leeds’ home ground. Last season’s game finished in a 1-0 win to the Magpies thanks to a free-kick from Jonjo Shelvey.
Team News
Allardyce dropped goalkeeper Ilan Meslier last weekend, and his replacement, Joel Robles, is set to continue in goal against Newcastle. Rodrigo scored after coming off the bench at the Etihad, and could well be set for a return to the starting side given Leeds’ desperate need for a victory. Luis Sinisterra has been ruled out of the remainder of the season through injury, while Liam Cooper and Tyler Adams remain major doubts.
For Newcastle, Sean Longstaff is Newcastle’s key injury doubt ahead of Saturday’s game, with the midfielder having missed last weekend’s defeat to Arsenal because of a foot injury. Allan Saint-Maximin is pushing for a starting spot after returning as a substitute against Arsenal following his recovery from a hamstring issue.
Probable Teams
Leeds XI: Robles; Ayling, Kristensen, Wober, Firpo; McKennie, Roca; Gnonto, Rodrigo, Harrison; Bamford.
Newcastle XI: Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Willock, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Isak, Saint-Maximin.
Verdict
It’s hard to see where Leeds will be beating Newcastle on. The Magpies are just two points above Manchester United and a loss would mean they fall to fourth place where Liverpool is lurking too as the trio fight for a Champions League spot. Leeds might give them problems considering they are at Elland Road but beating the Eddie Howe side motivated by the return to Europe might be a tall order
Verdict: Newcastle win
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Southampton v Fulham
Southampton’s potential last throw of the dice towards Premier League survival will be this Saturday when they host Fulham at St. Mary’s. They are 8 points from safety with their opponents placed 10th.
For the Saints to hold on to their survival hopes, they have to win here and hope that the three teams directly above them lose. Ruben Selles’ men have managed 24 points and their fate is no longer in their hands as regards survival. They trail Everton, who sit just above the drop zone, by eight points. A loss against Fulham will confirm their demotion and in turn, end an 11-year stay in the English topflight.
Verdict
The Saints haven’t won in their last 10 matches and suffered a disappointing 4-3 loss away to another relegation-threatened side, Nottingham Forest last time out. They have now lost three on the trot but will take comfort in the fact that they have never lost at home to Fulham. They might postpone their relegation but they will have to score goals if they harbor any survival ambitions.
Verdict Over 2.5 Goals❌
Extra tips 👇
We’ve got more bold picks from different matches with all of the permutations and possible outcomes in mind.
Below are the most popular fixtures from TopbetsKE with favourites indicated in bold and feature fixtures linked to our expert betting tips.
We also have Both Team To Score, Over 2.5 Market and a safe bet of Over 1.5.
1X2 Market
- Real Madrid v Getafe✅
- Man United v Wolves✅
- Inter v Sassuolo✅
BTTS
- Aston Villa v Tottenham✅
- Southampton v Fulham❌
- Leeds v Newcastle United✅
Over 2.5
- Southampton v Fulham❌
- Chelsea v Forest✅
- Bayern v Schalke✅
Safe bet – Over 1.5
- Bayern v Schalke✅
- Dortmund v M’Gladbach✅
- PSG v Ajaccio✅
- WAC v Sundowns❌
Check out our Jackpot predictions.
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