BOTH Newcastle and Leicester will be looking to make a winning start to 2021 when they square off at St James' Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Magpies go into this cash on the back of a spirited goalless draw at home to Liverpool in midweek, on a night where my recommended bet landed.
That unexpected point has eased the pressure on beleaguered Newcastle boss Steve Bruce but he can expect little respite when Leicester come to Tyneside this weekend.
The Foxes have been among the overachievers in the Premier League this season and go into the new year sitting third in the Premier League standings.
Last time out Brendan Rodgers' side left it late to pinch a point during their 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Having said that, the Leicester chief did make seven changes to his starting line-up in South London and that gives Rodgers the chance to recall his big hitters at St James' Park on Sunday.
Outright Betting
Newcastle have failed to win any of their last five home matches with Leicester and the bookies odds suggest that trend is set to continue with a Toon triumph trading at 19/4 with SportNation, while the draw is an unfancied 3/1 with UniBet.
Leicester have emerged victorious from six of their eight top-flight away matches this term and another road success for Rodgers and Co is odds-on at 8/13 with Bet 365.
Betting Angles
Newcastle earned a hard-fought 0-0 draw at home to Liverpool and I suspect Bruce will set out to frustrate Leicester with a replica of the defensive blueprint that stifled the Reds.
That could lead to a low-scoring affair at St James' so I'll head to the Bet Builder market with a view to opposing goals.
If we combine under four match goals and each team to take over two corners we will be presented with a backable 4/5 (Bet 365) punt.
Each of Newcastle's last three fixtures have featured fewer than three goals and three of Leicester's last four league matches have produced less than three strikes.
When digging slightly deeper it can be seen that six of the Foxes last seven road trips have seen under four match goals scored and I'm happy to side with a repeat on Sunday.
What's more, Newcastle are averaging four corners per game this term, while Leicester are averaging over five flag kicks per 90 minutes.
With that in mind, I'll also dip into the team corner market and take the 4/5 on offer with 888Sport for Newcastle to hit over 3.5 corners during this clash.
The Toon have hit four or more corners in four of their last five matches on home turf – a sample that includes Chelsea and Liverpool – and they look slightly overpriced to repeat the trick this weekend.
This English Premier League match between Newcastle and Leicester will be played on Jan 3, 2021 and kick off at 14:15. Check below for our tipsters best Newcastle vs Leicester prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
