Misha Ghosh

Newcastle vs Athletic Club Predictions: Magpies Eye Third Straight European Win Against  Injury-Hit Rival

Athletic Bilbao, Champions League, Newcastle United

Newcastle United welcomes Athletic Club at St. James Park in their recent tie of the UEFA Champions League. The Premier League side will be eyeing a strong win to climb on the UCL Points Table. Meanwhile, the Spanish side is languishing at the 25th spot with just a solitary win.

Preview

Newcastle currently occupies the 11th position with 2 wins and 1 loss. Athletic, however, has just a single win. The Magpies lost 2-1 to Barcelona in the opening game before making strong comebacks: a 4-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise and a 3-0 win over Benfica. Athletic lost 2-0 to Arsenal and 4-1 to Dortmund before finally opening their account with a 3-1 win over Qarabag FK.

Newcastle United is currently unbeaten at home in Europe this season and will look to continue this trend when they take on their Spanish opponent. Athletic, however, has been extremely poor in away fixtures. The side has gone on to lose 4 out of their last 5 away games and has a poor away record against English opponents.

The Magpies have also been scoring freely this season in Europe. In their last 3 games, they have notched up 8 goals already while having conceded just 2. Their counterparts are, however, in trouble after having scored just 4 goals and conceding 7, indicating a 3-goal difference, which can increase when they make the away trip to England.

Head-to-Head

These two sides have met only twice in Europe. The spoil of this war is evenly shared between the two sides. Both Newcastle and Athletic have won once, while no games have ended as draws.

The two sides met way back in the second round of the UEFA Cup. Newcastle won the first leg 3-2 at home, while Athletic snatched a narrow 1-0 win in the return leg.

Team News

Newcastle United

The Magpies were handed a big blow during their loss to West Ham United over the weekend, where they missed Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes with illness. Other absentees for the tie include the likes of Yoane Wissa, Tino Livramento, and Harrison Ashby.

Another concern was Anthony Gordon, who was substituted at halftime during the West Ham clash with a hip injury. Should Gordon be unavailable, then Harvey Barnes will take the former’s place. Despite having quite a few players missing the tie, the advantage remains with the Magpies for their better home form and greater bench strength.

Predicted XI: Pope; Trippier, Schar, Thiaw, Burn; Miley, Tonali, Joelinton; Elanga, Woltemade, Barnes

Team News

Athletic Club

The Spanish side has been plagued with injuries, with Inaki Williams having suffered an adductor injury, which has ruled him out of this season. Nico Williams, Oihan Sancet, Yuri Berchiche, Maroan Sannadi, Benat Prados, Unai Egiluz, and Yeray Alvarez are all ruled out of the tie with long-term injuries.

The saving grace comes in the form of defender Inigo Lekue, who has finally recovered from his adductor injury.

Predicted XI: Simon; Gorosabel, Paredes, Laporte, Boiro; Ruiz de Galarreta, Rego, Jauregizar; Berenguer, Guruzeta, Navarro

Where The Match Will Be Decided

The Premier League side will adopt high corners and occasional cutbacks, which have been their trademark style under Eddie Howe at St. James Park. This works wonders for them as opponents, i.e., Athletic has been notoriously known to concede from far zones and the second balls. In their last game, they averaged 1.6 goals from these very metrics, making the game highly in favour of the hosts.

Newcastle is very adept at making fast counters. They are equally good at winning the second balls, which makes them control the midfield and the attacking third. The ideal way for the visitors would be to win the aerial duel to neutralize this threat.

The hosts also have another trick up their sleeve should Athletic go for aerial balls. They will crowd the opposition’s six-yard box.

Match Prediction

Betting Odds: Newcastle United (1.37), Draw (4.6), Athletic Club (9.5) via BetMGM UK

The odds for the game heavily favour the hosts, i.e., Newcastle United. The odds for the tie ending in a draw are quite high. However, the odds for the visitors winning are extremely high.

We predict Newcastle United 2–0 Athletic Club. The hosts have quite a few things going in their favour. They have a very good record at home, undefeated, and will aim to maintain the streak. On the other hand, Athletic, with their injury-plagued side, will find it difficult, coupled with their horrendous away form and a knack for performing poorly against English opponents. Newcastle, with their quick transitions and wide play, will be difficult for the La Liga side to contain.

Also Read: Manchester City v Dortmund Prediction: Cityzens Eye Etihad Statement Against Free‑Scoring BVB

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