Newcastle United vs Leicester City. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more

Newcastle United FC will host Leicester City FC in the English Premier League 37th-tour match at St. James Park Stadium. The fixture will take place on Tuesday, May 23, beginning at 00:30 IST.

What can we expect this Tuesday night? Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Newcastle United News & Current Form:

The financial injections of the Saudi owners have already brought dividends to the Magpies, the club is turning from a modest mid-table side into one of the tops of the English championship. And if Eddie Howe’s side can’t reach the top two, they could easily win the bronze medal.

With two rounds to go before the end of the championship the Black and Whites are in third place, ahead of Manchester United FC only by additional indicators, as both teams have 69 points to their name. And in their last 12 EPL matches, Howe’s charges have lost only twice, which is certainly an indication of the club’s consistency.

In the last six rounds in the English championship, Newcastle lost only to Arsenal FC (0:2). The opponent created a huge number of chances and won on possession, but in some places the Magpies looked preferable to the Gunners. The team was simply unlucky, as the ball hit the cage a few times.

It’s also worth mentioning a great performance from Aaron Ramsdale. The Arsenal goalkeeper made five saves, making several real saves for his team. Newcastle drew with Leeds United FC (2:2). In all other meetings he won, moreover with a big score: Tottenham Hotspur FC (6:1), Brighton & Hove Albion FC (4:1), Southampton FC (3:1), Everton FC (4:1).

After defeating Brighton 4:1 at the end of the week and bringing European soccer back to St. James Park, Newcastle remained just one point away from their first UEFA Champions League campaign in two decades. The last time the team played in the group stage of the tournament was back in the 2002/03 season.

After that success against the Seagulls, Eddie Howe praised his team’s ability to implement a game plan based on high intensity, as his charges scored multiple goals for the fifth time in six games.

In addition, the team is great defensively, as proved in the first round match, with Leicester which achieved a 3:0 victory, followed ten days later by beating the Foxes in the English Football League Cup (2:0). Tonight the Magpies have a great chance to repeat the winning double they last achieved against Leicester in the 1994/95 season.

The performance of Eddie Howe’s side deserves special attention. They have scored 19 goals in the last six rounds. Eight of them were scored by Callum Wilson. He was also noted for one assist. In the last part of the season the forward picked up a crazy form.

Coach Howe praised the player for his terrific performance:

“He’d probably tell me there’s been a better spell somewhere down the line. My first season with him at Bournemouth, in the Championship, I thought he was electric but this is at the very highest level. This is against the best defenders and teams in the world.”

“I’d say he’s performing at the best level I’ve ever seen him at. I complimented him yesterday not in terms of the goal he scored but his intelligence on the press for us. He is the one that has to set the chain off and has to get it right otherwise the team suffers. I thought his tactical understanding was as good as I’ve seen.”

However, this also applies to all the other Newcastle players. First of all, Eddie Howe should be praised for that. The coach has built a great team. He has put on classy soccer, and also made tremendous individual progress in the performances of his charges.

In addition to Callum Wilson, Howe has unlocked the talents of Miguel Almiron and Alexander Isak. Thanks to their efforts Newcastle firmly entrenched themselves at the third position in the standings of the English top division. In order to guarantee a place in the Champions League zone at the end of the season, it is enough to get one victory in the remaining two matches of the championship against Leicester and Chelsea FC.

Eddie Howe still can’t count on supporting midfielders Sean Longstaff and Matty Longstaff, substitutes Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Ritchie, and the injured Emil Krafth and Ryan Fraser. Added to that is uncertainty about the participation of key winger Jacob Murphy and Joe Willock.

Newcastle, led by Eddie Howe, play predominantly in the transition phases of the opponent thanks to intense pressing in the middle third of the field. However, in this meeting, the team’s style may undergo fundamental changes due to the absence of key midfield players.

Miguel Almiron and Callum Wilson – scorers in a game with  Brighton & Hove Albion FC (4:1)

The transfer window is getting closer and clubs are already making plans to acquire players. Newcastle management plan to make a transfer raid on Leicester to acquire midfielder James Maddison and winger Harvey Barnes. The club tried to acquire Maddison last summer.

Leicester City News & Current Form: 

Just seven years after Leicester became the most unexpected English champion of all time, the Foxes’ status in the Premier League hangs in the balance. In many ways, the unsuccessful performance of the Leicestershire representatives in the current season was the result of the circumstances, the main of which were the unsuccessful management of the club and financial difficulties of its owners. 

And nothing can be done about it – a number of leading performers of the Blues have either already signed other contracts, or are looking for such.

The Foxes have not won in four games while painfully conceding ten goals in May, with two defeats resulting in the team trailing only by a few goals difference from the relegation zone.

Leicester’s current winless streak of seven away matches only exacerbates the feeling that they face a difficult task in staying up, even though the players have scored in their last five duels on a hostile field.

The results of the club’s performance in the last six meetings of the English championship are not as good as those of Newcastle. They beat only Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (2:1). Drew with Leeds (1:1) and Everton (2:2). Lost to Manchester City FC (1:3) and Fulham FC (3:5).

In the last round, City hosted Liverpool FC at home and simply could not stop last year’s vice-champion. The Merseysiders were better in almost every aspect of the game, while the hosts failed to score even once, 0:3.

And this despite the fact that relatively recently the Foxes have experienced a change of head coach. The position was taken by Dean Smith, who has extensive experience in saving clubs from relegation to the Championship. In theory, his appointment should have encouraged the team and helped in the struggle for survival. However, that did not happen.

Target transfer player for many clubs – James Maddison playing for Leicester City

Dean Smith also has a 60 percent loss rate against his counterpart Eddie Howe. In 36 rounds, the visitors have eight victories and six draws, corresponding to 30 points and 19th position in the standings, three points behind 17th-ranked Everton.

It is worth noting that with the arrival of the new head coach, the team has become more aggressive and inventive in the final third of the field. In 5 games out of 6 it has surpassed its opponents in xG, creating at least 2.1 xG in each of them. But so far it has been unlucky with the realization of chances. Leicester’s defense is extremely unreliable. In 36 rounds the club has conceded 67 goals. Only AFC Bournemouth and Leeds have conceded more. 

Leicester are still without starting forward Kelechi Iheanacho, important right-back James Justin, as well as without the injured Ryan Bertrand and Jannik Vestergaard, who have not yet recovered enough from physical ailments.

Newcastle United form guide: W-W-W-L-D-W

Leicester City form guide: L-W-D-D-L-L

Newcastle United vs Leicester City Head-To-Head Record: 

• January 1, 2020: Newcastle United 0 – 3 Leicester City (Premier League);
• January 3, 2021: Newcastle United 1 – 2 Leicester City (Premier League);
• May 7, 2021: Leicester City 2 – 4 Newcastle United (Premier League);
• December 12, 2021: Leicester City 4 – 0 Newcastle United (Premier League);
• April 17, 2022: Newcastle United 2 – 1 Leicester City (Premier League);
• December 26, 2022: Leicester City 0 – 3 Newcastle United (Premier League);
• January 10,  2023: Newcastle United 2 – 0 Leicester City (League Cup);

Newcastle United vs Leicester City Predicted XI:

Newcastle United possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Anderson, Guimaraes, Almiron; Saint-Maximin, Wilson, Gordon.

Leicester City possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Iversen; Pereira, Evans, Souttar, Castagne; Ndidi, Soumare; Tete, Maddison, Barnes; Iheanacho.

Statistical preview of the match Newcastle United vs Leicester City:

• Newcastle’s First XI average age is 27.6 years.
• Leicester’s First XI average age is 28.1 years.
• Leicester are winless in their last 7 away games in the Premier League.
• Newcastle are unbeaten in 5 of its last 7 matches.
• Leicester are unbeaten in 5 of their last 7 away matches in the Premier League against this foe.
• Newcastle won the last 3 games against this opponent.
• In the last 5 games Newcastle scored an average of 2.60 goals per game and conceded an average of 1.40 goals per game.
• In the last 5 games Leicester are conceding an average of 2.40 goals per game whilst conceding an average of 1.60 goals per game.
• Newcastle beat Leicester 3 – 0 in the first round.
• Newcastle’s top scorers: Callum Wilson (18+5),  Miguel Almiron (11+4), Alexander Isak (10+2), Joelinton (8+2).
• Leicester’s top scorers: Harvey Barnes (12+3), James Maddison (10+9), Kelechi Iheanacho (8+4).

What has been said before the match:

The Magpies manager Eddie Howe ahead of the game with Foxes and Champions League fight:

“We’ll want the same again as with Brighton. I’ve got no doubt the crowd will be there for us. We really have to take the good feeling from Brighton and the confidence that game should give us but then forget it and focus purely on a totally different game. Tactically, it will be totally different but we have to be ready for a tough match.”

“I think if you have a strong squad at your disposal, then rotation will be important. It will become important to use the whole squad. This season we didn’t feel the need to use rotation on a regular basis because we were playing in one tournament, though of course there was still the cup.”

“We rotated the lineup to a certain extent, but probably not to the extent that we may need to next season. So if you rotate the lineup, it must be strong. If you have two lineups, they’re going to be equal.”

“It’s going to be very difficult. It’s something new for us. It’s a serious challenge for us. Leicester is an example. They’ve been brilliant in Europe this season, but probably because of these demands their performance in the Premier League has gone a little bit bad, so we’ll have to think long and hard about it.”

Boss of Foxes Dean Smith about his charges’ condition and the importance of fans’ support:

“We made it difficult for teams earlier when we came into the Club, and that’s what we have to do now. Be hard to beat, first and foremost, and show our qualities when we get the chance.”

“We’ve put on different training sessions to what we did last week. But that was to concentrate on ourselves. We have to get the basics right. They’re down because of the position we’re in. I choose what I say about the players because I can. They care. They show that in training and in matches.”

“They’ve been demoralized by the last couple of results. Before that, there was an upturn in performances. Four of the performances were quite good. The goals we’ve given away in the last two games haven’t been good enough.”

“It’s a very partisan fanbase who’ll make it extremely hard for the first 15 minutes. Our job is to stifle that, with and without the ball, by going there to try and win the game.”

“The fans are the most important part of the club. 2-0 down at half-time, players are going to get stuck. Us coaches have to look at it more rationally. We need our supporters. I don’t need to pay homage to these players. I didn’t buy them, I inherited them. I could criticize these players but I don’t need to. The work ethic is there. We’ve got to make fewer mistakes in the defensive third.”

Newcastle United vs Leicester City Prediction:

The Black and Whites can already book a place in the Champions League 23/24 in this round. To do so, they simply have to beat an out-of-form growing Leicester. Eddie Howe’s men have lost only five times in the current EPL campaign, and in all cases to opponents from the top-8. Meanwhile, the Foxes had 9 games against the top-5 clubs of the Premiership and lost in all of them, scoring only on 3 occasions. 

Despite the visitors’ motivation, it’s hard to see how Dean Smith’s side can improve their table situation in this clash. Leicester have conceded in all 10 away league games since the end of December, and 7 of them have seen at least 2 goals. The Magpies, on the other hand, have netted two or more goals in five of their previous six EPL games at St. James Park.

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Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Newcastle United will win with an individual total over 1.5 – Yes.