What: English Premier League
Who: Newcastle United (8th, 22 points) vs Manchester City (3rd, 32 points)
When: Sunday 26th December, 2010, at 15:00 UK Time
Where: St. James’ Park, Newcastle, England
A New Chapter
Alan Pardew will seek to continue the good start to his reign at Newcastle United with a Boxing Day win over Manchester City. Though many of the club’s supporters are still trying to come to grips with the sacking of Chris Hughton, Pardew managed to get some more fans on his side as he led Newcastle to a 3-1 win over Liverpool in his first match in charge. The former West Ham United manager’s ability to win over the St. James’ Park faithful will be put to the test in a challenging couple of weeks to start the New Year.
Newcastle’s match against Birmingham City was one of the many games that fell victim to inclement weather last week. But after the Liverpool win, the team have a unique opportunity to face and beat another top team in Manchester City this weekend. Should the players put together another positive display then they will convince many, including themselves perhaps, that a finish in the top half of the Premier League is a distinct possibility.
Missed Opportunity
Manchester City will be seeking victory at Newcastle in order to atone for their 2-1 home defeat to Everton on Monday night, a loss which deprived the Citizens of the opportunity to top the table for the first time in 81 years. Roberto Mancini’s charges produced a timid first-half display that suggested they have some growing pains to go through before they can mount a sustainable title challenge.
The Carlos Tevez saga surely weighed on the players to some extent in the last week, but with the team’s captain and talisman now fully committed to the club, the hope is that City can focus their efforts on challenging for trophies. The talent is certainly there, but the question is whether the team have the character yet to win titles. Victory at St. James’ Park could help the Eastlands outfit out of a tough period and provide the momentum to maintain their presence in the title race.
Recent form
Newcastle United:
Newcastle United 1-1 Chelsea (28/11; Premier League)
West Bromwich Albion 3-1 Newcastle United (05/12; Premier League)
Newcastle United 3-1 Liverpool (11/12; Premier League)
Manchester City:
West Ham 1-1 Manchester City (11/12; Premier League)
Juventus 1-1 Manchester City (16/12; Europa League)
Manchester City 1-2 Everton (20/12; Premier League)
Key absences
Newcastle United: Dan Gosling; Ryan Taylor; Hatem Ben Arfa; Shola Ameobi (doubt)
Manchester City: Kolo Toure (suspended); Emmanuel Adebayor
Players to watch
Newcastle United – Andy Carroll: Earlier this week, Alan Pardew rated Carroll as important to Newcastle United as Carlos Tevez is to Manchester City. This recognition of Carroll’s increasing influence at St. James’ Park is becoming clearer to see, not only from team-mates, coaches, and supporters, but from numbers as well. After netting 17 goals in the Championship last season, the 21-year-old has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water, scoring 10 times already this season. The tall striker is attracting much interest ahead of the January transfer window, however the smart money has him staying put and continuing to his enhance his growing reputation at Newcastle.
Manchester City – Carlos Tevez: After issuing a transfer request last week, Tevez attempted to smooth matters over with the club and supporters alike by rescinding it and agreeing to continue with City, a move that seemed eerily similar to Wayne Rooney’s U-turn earlier in the season. Regardless of what supporters thought of Tevez’s desire to walk away, the truth is that he is the heart and soul of this Manchester City side. His clashes with Roberto Mancini and the club’s executives aside, Tevez’s influence at City cannot be questioned. An all-action striker with limitless passion and effort, Tevez has all the intangibles a world-class footballer needs, along with the ability to score goals; the Argentine has 10 already this season.
Match prediction
This is a tough one to call. Manchester City have been one of the Premier League’s better away sides this season, while Newcastle at the same time have been far from invincible at home, winning only three of nine at St. James’ Park in the league. The Magpies have not lost at home though since early November and seem to be playing better football there as of late. City will be favoured for the three points, but may be affected by their inability to beat Everton earlier this week and go top of the league at Christmas for the first time since 1929. This has the makings of a superb Boxing Day match, there should be lots of action; expect a score draw. Newcastle United 1-1 Manchester City.
