Blaydon Races and a heartwarming blast of Local Hero.
Reworded: Chelsea’s victory of 1-0 against Fulham has caused Newcastle to fall to tenth place in the Premier League standings. However, if they secure a win tonight, they have the opportunity to climb up to seventh place. Meanwhile, a win for Manchester City would propel them to second place and bring them closer to the top-ranked team, Liverpool. This would put them in a strong position to potentially win their fourth consecutive English title.
Manchester City has included Ruben Dias and Jeremy Doku in their team due to the absence of Manuel Akanji and Jack Grealish, following their 2-0 victory against Sheffield United.
Newcastle United has only suffered one defeat (2-1) against their opponent in 2019, a record that dates back to 2005. They have managed to score in 30 consecutive Premier League games against Newcastle, and they hope to extend this streak tonight. Their winning streak of eight games in a row would have continued if Phil Foden had not been fatigued during the final moments of a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace right before Christmas. The future is beginning to look worrisome for teams such as Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur as the new world champions are on fire.
In contrast, Newcastle has been struggling lately. Their last nine matches have been disastrous, with six losses in all competitions. They have been eliminated poorly from both the Champions League and League Cup. They have suffered comprehensive defeats against Everton, Spurs, Nottingham Forest, and Liverpool. Fortunately, Sunderland provided some much-needed relief in the FA Cup last weekend. Newcastle can also take motivation from their well-deserved win against City in the League Cup back in September. A similar result could help them break out of their current slump and improve their position on the table, which has dropped to tenth. So while City is seen as the strong favorite in this game, Newcastle still holds onto some hope. The game kicks off at 5:30pm and it’s on!
Source: theguardian.com
