Premier League: Sunday at St. James Sounds Perfect for Flying Magpies

Newcastle United vs Fulham

Newcastle United’s first full campaign in their new reality is going rather better than expected. Third in the table and unbeaten at home, St James’ Park will be bouncing when Fulham head north on Sunday.   

This fixture, Premier League: Newcastle United vs Fulham, brings together two teams which have exceeded expectations this season. While Eddie Howe’s Newcastle have genuine aspirations to take part in the 2023/24 Champions League, Marco Silva has proved that last season’s Championship winners are perfectly at home at the top table.    

Newcastle come into the game on the back of a 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Leicester in midweek, while Fulham play Chelsea on Thursday night. The Cottagers sit seventh at the moment after winning their last three league games and they will leapfrog Liverpool into sixth if they avoid defeat to the Blues.   

Talking Points

Almiron vs Mitrovic

With nine and 11 goals respectively Miguel Almiron and Aleksandar Mitrovic are both in the top six goal scorers in the Premier League and you would have had long odds on that five months ago. Both strikers have had their problems in the top flight in recent campaigns, but they have clicked this time around. Mitrovic broke the Championship record with 43 goals from 46 games last season and he has taken the Premier League by storm this year. Equally, Almiron, having struggled badly for two years has scored some candidates for goal of the season among his nine goals and Howe has really got him playing to his full potential.        

Mitrovic, sold by Newcastle to Fulham in 2018, is joint fourth favourite to win the Golden Boot alongside Mo Salah no less. He’s a player we expect to make a big contribution to the Newcastle United vs Fulham highlights and will be itching to get on the pitch on Sunday, as he will miss out on the Chelsea match having picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Leicester last week.  

Magpies have genuine star quality

At SBOTOP odds of 51.00 to win the league it’s a distant dream for the Magpies…for now. In seasons to come they will get closer and closer. The Geordies came through a New Year Showdown with leaders Arsenal unscathed and showed a battling side to their play. Having England keeper Nick Pope and centre back Sven Botman in your rearguard is a big advantage, while the experience and street wise of wingback Kieran Tripper is crucial.

Alongside Almiron up front, Callum Wilson is super all round striker; but the biggest star of all is summer recruit Bruno Guimaraes who arrived form Lyon in a £40m deal and is one of the standout midfielders in the league, with his tackling ability, impressive range of passing and eight goals so far.       

Fulham’s strong spine

With Mitrovic leading the line the Cottagers have one of the most feared strikers in the Premier League but Silva has players right down the team’s spine you would back in a fight. Former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno is proven at the top flight and while he may not be the best with his feet, his bravery in shot stopping and command of his area is always impressive. In front of him 35 year old USA star Tim Ream marshals the defence and he has bags of Premier League nous.

Equally impressive in midfield is Portuguese star Joao Palhinha who arrived at the club in 2022 and has become a dominant figure in the middle of the park, also coming up with vital goals as he did in Fulham’s recent home game against Southampton.

This spine allows flair players such as Willian and Harrison Reed to find space and that, in turn, always helps Mitrovic.   

History

These two clubs have met 31 times this century and Fulham have a slight edge, with 14 victories to Newcastle’s 12 while there have been just five draws.

The Magpies whacked Fulham 4-1 at Craven Cottage back in October as the hosts went down to ten men with just eight minutes on the clock. Defensive midfielder Nathanial Chalobah was dismissed and Almiron helped himself to a brace.

The Cottagers are doing slightly better in terms of recent form, unbeaten in five and with four wins, a draw and a single defeat in six (before playing Chelsea), while Newcastle have won three, drawn two and lost one over that period. 

The Magpies are unbeaten at home this season with five wins and four draws  

Betting Tip

The pre-match Newcastle United vs Fulham betting odds have the hosts nailed on at odds of 1.51 to win while Fulham are priced at 6.36 and the draw is 3.64.

The Cottagers have a quick turnaround between games and the extra two days to prepare will help the Magpies, and a home win at 2-1 at odds of 5.65 may not be far wide of the mark.    

 

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