Newcastle United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
English Premier League, KO: 16:30 Mar 12, 2023, St James' Park
A PROMISING season is in danger of fizzling out for Newcastle United and they badly need a win against Wolverhampton Wanderers to stay in the hunt for a top-four Premier League finish.
Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Manchester City, which brought up a full house of tips for me, made it five games without a win in all competitions for the Magpies
They haven't tasted victory in the league since a 1-0 victory over Fulham back in mid-January. That slump has seen them drop down to sixth, overtaken by a resurgent Liverpool and inconsistent Spurs, but if Eddie Howe's men win their games in hand they can overtake both.
Newcastle need to shop shipping points though and they won't get it easy against a Wolves side who have blown hot and cold since Julen Lopetegui took charge.
The last eight Premier League games have yielded four wins, three defeats and a draw for the Molineux men, moving them up to 13th in the table.
Wolverhampton Wanderers did Newcastle a favour last time out, beating top-four rivals Tottenham 1-0 to bust the coupon of our man Gabriel. They are still just five points clear of the drop zone, though, and Lopetegui won't be happy until his side are further clear of danger.
The former Spain boss recruited wisely in January and has the talent in his ranks to hurt Newcastle if the Magpies aren't back to their best.
How the bookies view it
Despite their patchy form, Newcastle are odds-on favourite for a win at St James' Park, with SBK pricing them at 7/10. Wolverhampton Wanderers are 47/10 with the same firm while the draw pays 3/1 at Unibet and might be the best option if you're backing a result.
Recent head to head
There has been little between these teams since the Molineux side returned to the Premier League, with the last nine meetings producing six stalemates, two Wolves wins and one Newcastle victory. Those six draws all ended 1-1, a scoreline that pays 7/1 with Bet365 here.
Players to watch
Howe will probably make a few changes in a bid to change Newcastle's fortunes in front of goal. Big-money signing Alexander Isak could start up front ahead of toiling Callum Wilson and the Swede is 9/5 at Unibet for anytime scorer.
Adama Traore remains the great enigma for Wolves but there's few players I enjoy watching more than the winger when he's at his brilliant best. Lopetegui might be tempted to start him here after Traore's winner against Spurs and he's 15/1 with Unibet for anytime scorer. That looks overpriced, even if he continues to be an impact sub.
Anything else catch the eye?
Backing the half-time draw may be a bit safer than going for yet another full-time stalemate in this fixture and it pays 5/4 with Unibet. I'd be surprised if we saw a lot of goals in this one but under 2.5 goals isn't great value at a best 10/13 with BetUK.
Wolves have lost on the corner count in their last three fixtures while Newcastle racked up 13 of them in the last meeting of these sides. That suggests backing the Magpies in the corner handicap could pay off and Newcastle -3 pays 13/10 at BetVictor.
I love a stats bet and the one that catches my eye here is the 31/20 at Unibet for fit-again Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes to have over 0.5 shots on target.
This English Premier League match between Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers will be played on Mar 12, 2023 and kick off at 16:30. Check below for our tipsters best Newcastle United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
