Leicester City face Newcastle United at St James' Park on Sunday afternoon looking to extend their unbeaten record in the Premier League to four matches.
While the Foxes begin the next batch of fixtures in third position, the Magpies are down in 14th spot after four games without success.
Match preview
© Reuters
After his side only recorded a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace earlier this week, Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers inevitably received some criticism for his team selection.
However, the Northern Irishman was content with his decision to rotate his squad during a demanding schedule, something which he has been required to do through the club's Europa League campaign.
On another day, the Foxes would have coasted to victory at Selhurst Park, but the East Midlands side still sit in third position despite squandering several opportunities against the Eagles.
Not for the first time this season, Harvey Barnes showed why he is now considered one of the most exciting English players in the Premier League, and he has now netted five times in all competitions since November 26.
Although Leicester need to find something extra in defence to keep pace with the top two, Rodgers will be confident that Barnes, James Maddison and Jamie Vardy can give the team an edge in the final third.
Since their scrappy 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion on December 12, Newcastle have only recorded two points from their last four top-flight fixtures.
With the defeat at Brentford in the EFL Cup quarter-finals added into the equation, Steve Bruce finds himself under pressure to keep his job at St James' Park.
However, the defensive performance during the goalless draw with leaders Liverpool earlier this week highlighted why Bruce is unlikely to be replaced in the dugout in the near future.
While the club's hierarchy would prefer to be sitting higher in the standings, holding an eight-point cushion above the relegation zone will be considered acceptable given the recent issues with positive coronavirus cases.
Newcastle United Premier League form: WWLDLD
Leicester City Premier League form: WWLWDD
Team News
© Reuters
Newcastle will be without Isaac Hayden, who serves a one-match suspension for five yellow cards.
Either Jonjo Shelvey or Sean Longstaff will come into the midfield, but the remainder of the side could stay the same.
Timothy Castagne should return to the Leicester XI after no risks were taken on the Belgium international at Palace.
Wesley Fofana and Maddison are likely to only be considered for a spot among the replacements if they are deemed fit enough to make the trip.
Christian Fuchs, Marc Albrighton, Wilfred Ndidi, Youri Tielemans and Vardy could all be restored to the starting lineup.
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Darlow; Yedlin, Fernandez, Schar, Clark, Ritchie; Murphy, Shelvey, Longstaff, Joelinton; Wilson
Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Justin, Evans, Fuchs; Albrighton, Ndidi, Tielemans, Castagne; Barnes, Perez; Vardy
We say: Newcastle United 1-2 Leicester City
Newcastle showed earlier this week that they are capable of claiming points against the best sides in the division, particularly at St James' Park. However, the extra rest should benefit Leicester, and we expect the Foxes to edge a competitive contest on Tyneside.
Top betting tip
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Leicester City win with a probability of 62.37%. A draw had a probability of 21.5% and a win for Newcastle United had a probability of 16.08%.
The most likely scoreline for a Leicester City win was 0-1 with a probability of 12%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (11.5%) and 1-2 (9.82%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.24%), while for a Newcastle United win it was 1-0 (5.34%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 9.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Leicester City would win this match.
