Newcastle v Man City: Champions to celebrate title in style

“Man City’s last 11 wins, in all competitions, have all seen no more than three goals scored.”

Newcastle v Man City
Friday, 20:00
Live on Sky Sports Premier League

Man City champions after United defeat

Manchester City were crowned champions on Tuesday night, as the inevitable was confirmed, following Man United’s home defeat to Leicester.

Pep Guardiola’s side clinched their third Premier League title in four years as they reasserted their recent dominance in English football.

City will now hunt down their first Champions League trophy with a showdown against Chelsea ahead at the end of this month.

It is a richly deserved reward for their consistency since the end of October as City surged to the top of the table after a sluggish start to the season. The signing of Ruben Dias has proved a masterstroke with the defender helping establish the best defensive record in the division.

Despite playing without a recognised striker for most of the campaign, City’s attacking flair and creativity has seen the goals shared out throughout the team. Sergio Aguero’s failed Panenka attempt enabled Chelsea to recover and win 2-1 at the Etihad last weekend but City still did not have to wait long for the championship to be confirmed.

Newcastle safe after stunning Leicester

Newcastle have been much maligned this season with Steve Bruce coming under a torrent of abuse but the manager has answered his critics by steering the club to safety. It looked as if Newcastle were facing a major struggle to avoid relegation but the return of the team’s key attackers have revitalised the side and averted any risk of danger.

Back-to-back wins over Burnley and West Ham in April eased the pressure on the Magpies with the return to fitness of Allan Saint-Maximin critical to their upturn in form. Callum Wilson has also made a big difference with the striker scoring twice in last week’s 4-2 win at Leicester. Wilson misses out against the champions though, with a hamstring injury ending his season early.

It is no surprise Man City are short odds at just 1.330/100 to claim victory at St James’ Park.

Guardiola’s side have just secured the title and are on an exceptional run of 11 successive away wins in the league.

Man City will break the record with a win against Newcastle and it is difficult to see them slipping up despite the likelihood of extensive squad rotation again.

Newcastle are rank outsiders at 13.012/1 but there is little temptation to back an upset on Friday night. The last three meetings have all been won by Man City and Newcastle are likely to struggle to keep their opponents at bay. Newcastle did beat Man City in 2019 but it is hard to make a case for them.

The draw is trading at 6.25/1 but even this fails to appeal in a match which should be dominated by the visitors. Man City have been in a class of their own for the majority of this season and the champions should enjoy a stranglehold in terms of possession and chances. Newcastle will defend deep and try to pinch a goal on the break but even a draw looks highly unlikely. Man City should claim another win but their odds in this market are too short to encourage a bet.

Man City will be confident about shutting out Newcastle in their latest match. Guardiola’s side have beaten Newcastle with a clean sheet in their last three clashes. Combining an away win with Newcastle failing to score, in Betfair’s Bet Builder, increases the odds to 2.05.

This is well worth consideration but the best bet could be to back Man City to win a low-scoring match. Man City’s last 11 wins, in all competitions, have all seen no more than three goals scored. City’s defensive strength has enabled them to win without needing to score at will. They have not netted more than three goals in a game since their 5-2 win over Southampton in March and a victory with less than 3.5 goals is generously priced at 11/10.

Follow Simon’s bets on Twitter @watfordtipster