PREMIER LEAGUE FRIDAY: The Striker previews Friday’s Premier League game between NEWCASTLE v WOLVES with a recommended BETDAQ bet and extended match stats.
NEWCASTLE V WOLVES
8pm We have Friday Night Football to enjoy this week on BETDAQ Betting Exchange from the Premier League as Newcastle host Wolves. As we close in towards the end of the season, we do have a few “meaningless” games coming up in the sense that sides can’t really achieve anything. Newcastle have moved away from the relegation zone, and without any danger of going down now they haven’t got much to aim for in reality. Of course, having owners with so much money the players have their places to play for next season and I don’t see Newcastle switching off as we come into the run-in.
Wolves are another side that I don’t see switching off. They start the weekend sitting in eighth position “outside” of the European spots. However, they aren’t actually outside the European spots when you factor in that Liverpool won the League Cup and it’s highly likely that one of Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester City will win the FA Cup. That means we’ll definitely have extra European spots this season, and Wolves are in the running for one of them. There’s a big gap to Crystal Palace in ninth too, so Wolves are going to finish at least eighth even if they do switch off and go “on the beach” early.
This will be an interesting game, and we have a very interesting market. Newcastle are clear favourites at 2.34 and I have to say I wasn’t expecting to see them trading that short when I clicked into the market. I expected a much more open market and Wolves are a tempting bet at 3.7. Wolves have been rock solid away from home this season too, they are sitting in fourth on the away form table which just highlights how good they have been on the road.
After Newcastle’s excellent run to move away from the relegation zone, the bubble has definitely popped now after the 5-1 loss away to Spurs last weekend. We’ve had the International break in between but that’s three losses in a row for Newcastle now. Of course, you can always forgive losing to the likes of Chelsea but the Everton loss in the 99th minute would have hurt. They didn’t play badly to be fair to them.
I can only see a very close game here, and I feel the Newcastle lay stands out as the best bet. I fully except Wolves to make this game closer than the odds suggest, and I know they haven’t been at their best recently when you look at their xG figures but I can’t get away from the Newcastle lay here. Wolves conceded an xG of 2.52 against Aston Villa at the weekend which is a worry, so I’m going to limit stakes as I can see Wolves aren’t fully firing at the moment but their overall away record is rock solid and I feel the market is wrong here. I expect a very close game.
The Striker Says:
Two points lay (liability) Newcastle to beat Wolves at 2.34 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/NewWol
MATCH STATS
● Newcastle are winless in five home league games against Wolves (D3 L2) since a 4-1 victory in the Premier League in April 2011.
● Wolves are looking to complete their first league double over Newcastle since the 1991-92 second tier campaign, while they last beat the Magpies home and away in a top-flight campaign in 1953-54.
● Both teams have scored in all 13 Premier League meetings between Newcastle and Wolves, making it the most played fixture in the competition’s history to see neither side keep a clean sheet.
● Nine of the 13 Premier League meetings between Newcastle and Wolves have been drawn (69%), the highest percentage of games to finish level of all fixtures to have been played more than 10 times in the competition.
● Since their return to the division in 2018, no side has won more Premier League games on a Friday than Wolves (4, level with Liverpool, Southampton and West Ham). However, this will be Wolves’ ninth such game in that time, more than any other side.
● Newcastle United have won their last three home Premier League matches, last winning more consecutively at St James’ Park between January and March 2019 (five in a row). Current boss Eddie Howe has never won four consecutive home Premier League matches as a manager.
● Wolves have won eight away Premier League games in 2021-22, their most ever in a single Premier League season and their most in a top-flight season since 1979-80 (10 wins), when they finished sixth.
● After a nine-match Premier League unbeaten run between December 2021 and March 2022, Newcastle have lost each of their last three in the competition. They haven’t lost four in a row since a run of five in January 2021.
● In 2022, Newcastle United have scored four direct free-kick goals from just seven attempts (one from Shelvey, two from Trippier, one from Schär), as many as they managed in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 combined. The Magpies last scored more Premier League goals via direct free-kicks in a season in 2002-03 (five).
● Jonny has scored a goal in each of his last two Premier League appearances for Wolves, only one fewer than he netted in his first 79 matches for the club (3), although one of those goals came away at Newcastle in October 2019. He is looking to become only the fifth Wolves player to score in three Premier League appearances in a row, and first since Raúl Jiménez in November 2019.
