The fifth round of Premier League action starts on Friday night with two winless sides Newcastle United and Leeds United hoping to kickstart their seasons.
With two struggling defenses clashing, there’s a good chance for a high-scoring affair and bookmaker William Hill has the odds at 1.67 for over 2.5 goals and at 2.50 for over 3.5 goals.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 16th, 11:30 A.M. (EST)
Newcastle have allowed the most goals in the league with 12 goals conceded and Leeds aren’t far behind with 11 goals given up. With such poor defensive records, it’s no surprise to see the two sit among five winless teams.
The Magpies can count themselves quite unlucky not to have opened their wins account for the season as they have produced a couple of very good efforts against West Ham and Southampton. Steve Bruce’s men held the lead twice in both matches but ended up with only a single point from the two outings.
Bruce already finds himself under big pressure with the team 19th in the table ahead of only new boys Norwich. He badly needs a victory to lift the mood around St. James’ Park.
Unfortunately for Bruce, he has to look for results without a host of key players. No. 1 goalkeeper Martin Dubravka is out with a foot infection, midfield warrior Jonjo Shelvey is nursing a calf problem and top goalscorer Callum Wilson is recovering from a thigh injury.
Marcelo Bielsa’s situation isn’t exactly rosy either. He’ll have three center-backs missing for the match with Pascal Struijk suspended and both Robin Koch and Diego Llorente injured.
Leeds’ defense has been incredibly leaky even with a healthy lineup as the team has allowed 28 shots on target through four games, which is the worst mark in the league.
The Whites will hope to cover up the defensive deficiencies with their attack, and Bielsa continues to look at Patrick Bamford to produce the goods. The 28-year-old was among the best English scorers in the Premier League last season with 17 goals and he’s had a solid start to the new campaign as well with two goal involvements.
Newcastle have dominated the matchup through the years, but Leeds won both meetings last season to register their first league double over the Magpies since 1975-76. They now have a chance to win three straight against Newcastle for the first time since 1958.
