Newcastle United vs Wolverhampton – 12/03/2023
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Following a difficult period for the club, Newcastle United will aim to reignite their Premier League campaign when they host Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.
The Magpies have slipped to sixth in the table – four points outside the Champions League place – having failed to win any of their previous five games.
Eddie Howe on recent form:
“Through every season there are difficult moments and there are patches where you don’t win the games maybe you should. That’s the time, I believe, you have to be really strong mentally and know it will change.” pic.twitter.com/bZncWb7M8L
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) March 10, 2023
Meanwhile, Wolves have climbed to 13th – five points clear of the relegation zone and 14 points behind Newcastle – thanks to an upturn in form under Julen Lopetegui.
Newcastle suffered a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City last weekend, meaning they have lost each of their past three matches across all competitions.
The Magpies’ last victory came in the EFL Cup semi-finals against Southampton on January 31, but they ended up losing the final to Manchester United last month.
Still, Eddie Howe’s men will be confident of returning to winning ways this weekend, having lost just three of their 24 Premier League outings this season.
On top of that, Newcastle boast the best defensive record in the division, while Wolverhampton Wanderers are the joint-lowest scorers.
Indeed, Wolves have only managed to score 19 goals across 26 league matches this term, averaging just 0.73 goals per game in 2022-23.
The Wanderers have also picked up just seven Premier League wins this season, recording six draws and 13 losses along the way.
Wolves claimed an impressive 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, ending a three-game winless run in the Premier League.
That said, Lopetegui’s side tend to perform better on home soil, so they could struggle to deal with Newcastle at St. James’ Park.
Head-to-head: Wolverhampton Wanderers held Newcastle United to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture back in August.
Given that 10 of the previous 12 meetings between Newcastle and Wolves have produced under 2.5 goals, a low-scoring encounter is on the cards this weekend.
Team news: Newcastle will be without the suspended Joelinton on Saturday, while Fabian Schar and Emil Krafth will miss the game due to injury.
As for Wolves, their injury list contains Diego Costa, Hugo Bueno, Boubacar Traore, Hwang Hee-chan and Sasa Kalajdzic.
Although Newcastle have endured a disappointing run of results in recent times, they are expected to return to winning ways against relegation-threatened Wolves.
Forebet predicts that Newcastle will record a low-scoring win on home soil, keeping a clean sheet on their way to victory.
