Newcastle vs Man City Tips, Predictions & Best EFL Cup Odds
Despite their injury and suspension issues, football betting sites make City narrow favourites to win this match in 90 minutes (with penalties deciding which club advances if it’s a draw).
Yet their last visit to Newcastle ended in a 3-3 draw and one of the most entertaining Premier League matches of 2022/23. This should be a close contest.
Newcastle vs Man City betting: Away side to prevail
The Magpies’ league campaign has broken down neatly thus far. They have won matches you’d expect them to – beating Aston Villa, Brentford and Sheffield United – while losing their games against the current top three.
Manchester City have kept things even simpler, by beating every team they’ve faced. This includes a 1-0 victory over Newcastle last month, although that was at the Etihad Stadium rather than in the North East.
Guardiola’s thin squad will be stretched here. In their last two league games, City have named one fewer substitute than they are permitted and included two goalkeepers on their bench.
With Rodri suspended following his red card on Saturday, Guardiola would’ve preferred the kind of easy home game rival fans accuse his side of always getting in domestic cup competitions.
Yet this situation may not help Newcastle, as City will likely play a strong side due to their limited options. Erling Haaland and Phil Foden may not get the night off as there are few realistic replacements for them.
Having guided the Magpies to the Carabao Cup final last season, Eddie Howe will want his side to go one step further and end a wait for silverware which has lasted over half a century. He may feel emboldened by the 3-3 draw the last time these teams met on Newcastle’s patch too.
However, City really should have won that day. They had seven clear-cut chances and the expected goals were roughly 4-2 in their favour. It’s a very tough game to call but City have to be the pick based on the two teams’ records, both this season and against each other.
Newcastle vs City bets: Expect entertaining chaos
Newcastle come in to this match on the back of equalling their record Premier League victory with an 8-0 win over Sheffield United on Sunday.
While it’s safe to assume they won’t bag as many here, the fact eight different players scored means that Howe has a squad bursting with confidence in front of goal.
The back of City’s team is the one area in which Guardiola can make changes too. Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega should come into the side, with full-backs Rico Lewis and Sergio Gomez likely to join him.
Talented or not, that’s a trio with a maximum of 90 minutes each this season and St James’ Park is one of the toughest opposition grounds England currently has to offer.
On that basis, a Both Teams to Score bet would make sense, but the odds for over 2.5 goals are higher on betting sites and that’s our second pick on the match.
While the Magpies have improved dramatically in recent times, City have still scored at least three goals in their last three visits to Newcastle and at least twice in the last five. We expect more of the same on Wednesday night.
Goalscorer bet: Argentine on the Tyne
It’s a similar story regarding the goalscorer markets. Erling Haaland is odds-on to score but there’s less expectancy on Julian Alvarez to find the net.
And in fairness to Newcastle, they’ve shackled Haaland about as well as any side has. There are four teams Haaland has faced three times in the Premier League, and while he has scored at least four goals against three of them, he has a solitary strike against the Magpies.
Keeping City’s big blonde goal machine under wraps should offer a little more space for Alvarez. The World Cup winner has already pocketed 13 different trophies and a goal in this game would take him a step closer to adding number 14 at Wembley in February.
Andrew Beasley@BassTunedToRed
Andrew Beasley is a widely published football writer and voluntary numbers enthusiast. His love of stats provides him with a wealth of insight which can be applied to betting. He is a Liverpool fan, but don’t hold it against him.
