Picture from: freelargeimages.com
Leicester City v Newcastle United
After Newcastle lost at home to Crystal Palace last week, this game becomes even more important for them as they look to ensure they avoid defeat. They have a clear seven-point lead over 18th-placed Cardiff City, but they have played one more game and hope to confirm their place in the Premier League as soon as possible. The longer you put it off, the more stressful it will become.
However, it won’t be easy for them against a Leicester side who are in fine form under new manager Brendan Rodgers. The Foxes have won four consecutive league games under his leadership and are looking to win five consecutive Premier League games for the first time since Craig Shakespeare took charge in April 2017. In fact, they have only managed five consecutive wins in this competition twice before, the other time being in April 2016 when they won an impressive Premier League title under Claudio Ranieri. This is a testament to how well they are doing now.
Rodgers and Benitez, of course, are both former Liverpool managers and have met once before in the Premier League – Rodgers’ Liverpool drew 2-2 with Benitez’s Chelsea in April 2013 – a match marred, of course, by the Luis Suarez biting incident.
Judging from the confrontation records between the two sides, Leicester City has the upper hand in the recent confrontation. The Foxes have won six of their last seven games against the Magpies, including three of four against Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle side, so Newcastle must perform better than they have performed against Leicester in recent seasons if they are to secure a much-needed win.
Newcastle United did, however, beat Premier League side Leicester City 2-1 at the King Power Stadium, having last won two games in a row in the league in 1959. The north-eastern club will no doubt follow suit to ensure their top-flight safety next season.
Key people:
Jamie Vardy – With three goals and one assist in his last five league games against Newcastle, Vardy is in red-hot form with seven goals in his last six league games, including five and six under Brendan Rodgers, who is getting the best out of the England striker.
Solomon Rondon – He missed a lot of chances against Crystal Palace last week but is still a dangerous man for Newcastle. He needs one more goal to reach 10 goals for the first time in the Premier League season and with three goals in six league games against Leicester City, his history against Leicester City suggests he could well reach double figures today.
Author: Red Red April 12, 2019 09:11:39