Newcastle United and Fulham collide at St James’ Park on Saturday, with both sides separated by just a point in the Premier League table.
Match News and Current Form
Newcastle’s inauspicious start to the season continued with a 2-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend, which leaves them with only two wins from their last ten Premier League games (D3, L5). Those victories came against sides currently in the bottom three (1-0 v Wolves and 2-0 v Nottingham Forest) and wouldn’t have done much to inspire confidence ahead of the Cottagers’ visit. With that in mind, a convincing 3-0 Champions League midweek win over Benfica served as a reminder of what can be achieved if Eddie Howe’s men fire on all cylinders.
Fulham have been in freefall recently after losing each of their last three Premier League games and could suffer four consecutive top-flight defeats for the first time since April 2023. Their record on the road also leaves a lot to be desired, with the Cottagers still waiting for a first away win this season (D1, L3) after conceding nine goals in that poor run. Marco Silva has not been helped by a misfiring forward line either, with only Burnley and Sunderland (21 each) registering fewer shots on target than his side in the top flight this season (23).
Head-to-Head History
Fulham turned a corner against Newcastle last season, completing a league double over the Magpies after failing to win any of the nine previous H2Hs (D2, L7). They could now secure back-to-back away league victories against the Tynesiders for the first time since 1951.
Hot Stats and Streaks
Newcastle's five Premier League clean sheets are the joint highest this season alongside Arsenal.
Six of Newcastle’s last eight games produced over 2.5 match goals.
Fulham have only kept one clean sheet in their last 17 Premier League games.
Eleven of Fulham’s last 14 away games saw both teams score.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
Newcastle's Jacob Murphy claimed his third assist of the season against Benfica on Tuesday, and has three career goals against Fulham, albeit he wasn’t on the winning side in any of those matches (D1, L2). Twelve of Raúl Jiménez’s previous 14 goalscoring appearances saw both teams find the net, including both of Fulham’s victories over the Toon last season.
Newcastle do not appear to have any fresh injury concerns. Joachim Andersen is a doubt for Fulham after being forced off with a hamstring injury in the defeat to Arsenal, while Tom Cairney’s back problem will be assessed.
For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.
Betting Analysis
Newcastle will hope to have turned a corner after their big result in midweek, so it could be worth a punt on Newcastle to win with a -2 handicap.
Author: James Hilsum