Newcastle vs Wolves predictions: Toon tussle too tight to call
- Newcastle have only lost three of their previous 10 in all competitions
- Wolves have lost three times in their last 15 matches in all competitions
- Recommended bet: Draw
Newcastle have lost only one of their last seven in all competitions, Wolves just two of 13, so two confident sides meet at St James' Park where top-six ambitions are still being pursued.
The Toon, in tenth, trail Wolves by one place and one point, but having conceded 13 goals in their last five matches, they will need to tighten up to keep out Gary O'Neil's hugely impressive outfit.
Wolves, meanwhile, could be more cautious than usual, with top scorer Hwang Hee-chan set to follow second-top scorer Matheus Cunha into the treatment room.
Team news
Newcastle are still missing the likes of Nick Pope, Joelinton and Callum Wilson, while Sven Botman is nowhere near 100%, according to Eddie Howe.
O'Neil will doubtless return to his preferred 3-4-3 set-up at Newcastle and recall the likes of Craig Dawson, Nelson Semedo, Pedro Neto and Pablo Sarabia, who were subs in the 1-0 win against Brighton in the FA Cup.
O'Neil is still without Cunha, and Hwang is also unlikely to be involved, according to the manager. Both Neto and Sarabia have played through the middle this season.
The stats
Both teams have scored in each of Newcastle's last six matches in all competitions, producing a total of 28 goals.
Newcastle are the only side in the division who have not trailed at half-time in a home game.
Wolves are unbeaten in their last six away matches, winning each of the previous three, while seven of the last ten meetings between these sides in the Premier League have ended in draws.
Prediction
The recent history of this fixture suggests it will be close, with seven of their last ten league encounters ending all square.
Coming at the end of another gruelling week in which both clubs were involved in bruising FA Cup ties, there are question marks over both.
Wolves squad is the smaller of the two, and they are almost certainly minus their two top scorers.
But they have become supremely well-organised under the admirable O'Neil, and their away record of late suggests they will still fancy their chances.
And Newcastle can not keep a clean sheet for love nor money and rarely look like doing so either.
Wolves will soak up what Newcastle have to offer and look to play on the counter, a tactic which has brought them plenty of joy.
But the reality is there is just one point and one place between the sides, who are so well-matched that the draw looks like a live runner.
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