Man City vs Newcastle prediction: Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak duel takes centre stage at Etihad | OneFootball

Few people would have guessed Manchester City and Newcastle would be locked in a race for the Champions League places at this stage of the season.

Both teams are on 41 points and two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, adding a layer of jeopardy to Saturday’s Premier League clash; an ingredient that has often been missing from Pep Guardiola’s team in recent years.

It has been a season of disaster for the defending champions, who find themselves 16 points off league leaders Liverpool and still impacted by a historically bad run that all but ended their pursuit of this year’s title.

Wednesday’s late 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid underlined a squad that has lost its resilience and struggles against pacey opposition that like to play with directness.

Newcastle will be extremely excited about that. Eddie Howe’s team have struggled for consistency in recent weeks but they possess weapons to give Man City real trouble. The combo of the Magpies’ combative midfield and explosive frontline means there’s likely an opportunity for punters to find real value on the best football betting sites.

Perception is a very funny thing in football. On one side of this game, we have Alexander Isak; arguably the most devastating out-and-out striker in the Premier League season. An absolute menace whose speed, quality in one-on-one situations and outright finishing ability has landed him 17 goals and likely a summer move for a lot of money. He’s a player who continues to rightfully receive praise for his contribution.

On the other side, we have Erling Haaland. Undoubtedly the best striker in world football over the last few years, a man who is having an ‘off’ season, but still sits ahead of Isak with 19 goals.

Haaland is judged by different standards and has every single touch analysed to the finest detail in search of whether or not his contribution to Man City is worthwhile. His ‘bad’ season is better than most forwards’ best seasons, so the constant scrutiny is misplaced even when his team struggles. Coming into this one with a brace against Madrid while suffering defeat sums it up well.

Haaland’s perceived issues present a good opportunity for punters. Betting sites have him and Isak to score priced up at odds of 7/2, offering a potentially fruitful chance considering how leaky both defences continue to be. Those who expect goals should consider this one in what is likely to be a lively affair.

One of the starkest differences in Man City’s performances this season has been how they let teams back into matches. Even in recent weeks, we’ve seen Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Brentford and Everton claw back a result after City took the lead. It’s a trait that has rarely been associated with Pep’s sides, who so often pass teams to death and control matches once in the lead.

Newcastle are fantastic battlers. They’re the type of unit who keep their opponents honest until the very end and don’t give up easily under Howe, whose tactics mean they are always ready to spring into attack.

Pep has been unable to find a centre-back partnership that works this campaign and the individual quality of dependable players such as Manuel Akanji has dipped. Man City are ripe for the taking even when in the lead.

As such, many bettors may be enticed by bets that include Man City to lead at the break and then get pegged back for a point. This happened when the two sides met in September’s 1-1 draw and with odds of 14/1, feels like an intriguing punt for those who think it might happen again.

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