Newcastle United vs. Stoke City Preview

Champions League chasing Newcastle United will be in search of their sixth Premier League victory on the spin when Stoke City make the visit to St James’ Park on Saturday April 21.

And three points for Alan Pardew’s side would temporarily at the least take them into fourth spot heaping huge pressure on Tottenham Hotspur who face QPR at Loftus Road later in the afternoon.

After suffering only two defeats at home all season, it is no surprise that Newcastle go into this fixture as warm favourites and the betting has also been compounded by the Magpies imperious recent form.

Norwich, West Brom, Liverpool, Swansea and Bolton have all been swatted aside in quick succession throughout the past few weeks to put Newcastle firmly back into contention for European qualification after the fine start they made to the campaign.

Pardew must certainly be in the running for manager of the season and it is perhaps his dealings in the transfer market which have made the rest of the league stand up and take notice.

Forward Demba Ba was already recognised as a sound coup following a prolific start to life in English football and it is now Senegalese teammate and strike partner Papiss Cisse who has been grabbing the headlines after smashing in ten goals in nine games on the back of his transfer from German outfit Hoffenheim in January.

And an in form, potent Toon attack will not be relished by Stoke and boss Tony Pulis considering that the Potters have lost nine times on the road this season shipping a woeful 29 goals in the process.

Stoke actually managed to win this corresponding fixture last season however that match was in fact played in September 2010 and the hosts are a much stronger unit eighteen months on, whilst City have arguably gone backwards from their impressive opening year back in the top flight.

It is also a well-known fact that Tony Pulis’ men do their best work at the Brittania Stadium and this fixture looks an extremely tall order providing that Newcastle can keep up the incredible standard which they have demonstrated since the middle of March.

This is potentially win number eleven for the Magpies at St James’ Park in 2011/2012 and they are solid 4/6 shots to come out on top.

Stoke have only lost once in their last five Premier League outings but they will need to put in a terrific shift to earn a draw which is a best priced 11/4 or an unlikely success at 9/2.

There can be no question that both managers are on an equal par in terms of tactical and motivational ability but Pardew’s squad simply shines in comparison to the Potters who lack a couple of genuine top quality stars.

The aforementioned Ba and Cisse certainly fit that bill and the African duo’s contribution in this contest is likely to prove the main difference between the two sides at the final whistle.

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16/04/2012     © Frixo 2024