NEWCASTLE UNITED will be looking to make it seven Premier League wins in succession when they lock horns with Leeds United at St James' Park on Saturday.
A run of five straight league wins ensured the Magpies were surveying the standings from the Champions League positions in time for the World Cup break.
Eddie Howe's team have since underlined their credentials as serious contenders for a top-four berth with a three-goal first-half blitz of Leicester City on Boxing Day, bringing up one of my bets in the process.
Howe and Co will now look to keep the Geordie juggernaut rolling when 15th-placed Leeds United come to town this weekend.
The Whites faithful were starting to get restless with manager Jesse Marsch ahead of the Premier League pause, however, the Leeds chief relieved the pressure that was beginning to mount on his shoulders with back-to-back wins over Liverpool and Bournemouth.
The Elland Road outfit could hardly have asked for a tougher opening test to their festive programme on Wednesday night, as they were beaten 3-1 in their own backyard against Manchester City.
Outright Betting
Newcastle, who have lost just one of their opening 16 Premier League matches of the season, head into this game as short priced 4/9 (PaddyPower) favourites.
Last year's corresponding fixture ended all square but the same outcome here is an unfancied 18/5 (UniBet) while a Leeds United victory is as big as 6/1 (BetVictor).
Betting Angles
I'm keen to get high-flying Newcastle onside here for obvious reasons so to bump up the price I'll head to Bet Builder market and merge Newcastle to win, Over One Newcastle Goal & Over Two Newcastle Corners at 4/5 (Bet 365).
St James' Park has been somewhat of a fortress during Eddie Howe's Toon tenure, with Newcastle tasting defeat just once on home turf this calendar year, and I suspect they will put Leeds to the sword on Saturday with a raucous home crowd behind them.
It's also worth pointing out that the Magpies have made the net bulge in a sizeable 18 of their 20 Premier League home games under Howe's management, and they should get more joy in front of goal when faced with what is one of the leakiest defences in the division.
Jesse Marsch's men have failed to file a Premier League clean sheet when playing away from Elland Road this season in seven attempts, shipping 2+ strikes on five of those occasions, which doesn't bode well when you consider Newcastle have delivered multiple strikes in four of their last five top-flight fixtures.
As such, I'm more than happy to combine a home win and a couple of goals, but to conclude the selection, I'll also throw three Newcastle corners into the equation – a line the Toon have tracked in all but two of their 16 league games this term to date.
What's more, the above-mentioned Bet Builder would have paid out in three of Newcastle's last five Premier League victories, and that only adds to the appeal of supporting the same 4/5 (Bet 365) play at St James' Park on Saturday.
Given that Miguel Almirón's purple patch in front of goal is showing no signs of slowing down, I'll also back the Magpies' man of the moment To Score Or Assist at 6/4 with PaddyPower.
The Paraguayan has either notched or provided a goal in eight of his last nine Premier League appearances, so a 6/4 (PaddyPower) quote about a repeat on Saturday is a price that definitely represents value.
This English Premier League match between Newcastle United and Leeds United will be played on Dec 31, 2022 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Newcastle United vs Leeds United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
