Newcastle United and Bournemouth will aim to continue their excellent runs when they face off at St. James’ Park on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season resumes this weekend as Gameweek 22 kicks off on Saturday. The latest round of fixtures starts with Newcastle United vs Bournemouth at St. James’ Park, with both teams on exceptional unbeaten runs in recent weeks.
Newcastle United appeared to be headed for a frustrating 2024/25 campaign after blowing hot and cold in the first few months of the ongoing season. However, the Magpies have been unstoppable in recent weeks, embarking on a nine-game winning run that has taken them to fourth in the Premier League standings, the FA Cup fourth round, and on the cusp of the EFL Cup final.
The run included memorable victories over Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Arsenal, with Newcastle United capitalising on the faltering form of other bigwigs. As for Bournemouth, the Cherries continue to go from strength to strength under the tutelage of Andoni Iraola.
The Spanish tactician endured a baptism of fire in the Premier League last season but has not looked back since finding a stable footing at the Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth’s form reflects that, with Iraola’s charges currently on a ten-game unbeaten run that includes wins over Tottenham and Manchester United.
The reverse fixture saw Newcastle United come from a goal down to hold Bournemouth to a 1-1 draw, with Anthony Gordon salvaging a point for the Magpies. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Newcastle United
Eddie Howe has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Newcastle United manager might be bereft of the services of only four first-team players vs Bournemouth on Saturday.
Fabian Schar has resumed training ahead of Saturday’s game but has yet to fully recover from his illness. However, Nick Pope (knee), Jamaal Lascelles (knee), Harvey Barnes (muscle), and Callum Wilson (hamstring) remain on the sidelines.
Martin Dubravka will continue to deputise for Pope between the sticks, with Newcastle United lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Bournemouth on Saturday. The backline should feature Valentino Livramento, Sven Botman, Dan Burn, and Lewis Hall. However, Fabian Schar should replace Burn if he is fit and available.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, and Joelinton, with the trio forming a dynamic partnership in the middle of the park. Finally, Alexander Isak will lead the line for Newcastle United against Bournemouth, with Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Dubravka; Livramento, Botman, Burn, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Gordon
Bournemouth
Unlike his counterpart in the Newcastle United dugout, Andoni Iraola has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to St. James’ Park. The Bournemouth manager might be without as many as nine first-team players on Saturday.
James Hill might be the latest absentee after picking up a hamstring issue earlier this week against Chelsea. The 23-year-old defender has joined Marcos Senesi (hamstring), Julian Araujo (thigh), Alex Scott (knee), Marcus Tavernier (hamstring), Luis Sinisterra (thigh), Evanilson (foot), and Enes Unal (knee) on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Adam Smith is close to returning, but Saturday’s game might have come too soon for him.
Kepa Arrizabalaga is available again after being ineligible to take on his parent club, Chelsea. Bournemouth will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of the Spanish international vs Newcastle United on Saturday. The backline should feature Lewis Cook, Illia Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen, and Milos Kerkez, with Cook replacing Hill in the backline.
As for the midfield unit, Tyler Adams should pair up with Ryan Christie in the double pivot, with Justin Kluivert reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Dango Ouattara will spearhead the Bournemouth attack against Newcastle United, with Antoine Semenyo and David Brooks being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Cook, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Christie, Adams; Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo; Ouattara
Key Stats
- Four of the last five Premier League meetings between Newcastle United and Bournemouth have ended level, with the Cherries winning the other 2-0 in November 2023. Having won their first two Premier League away games vs Newcastle, Bournemouth are winless in their last four visits to St. James’ Park (D2 L2).
- Newcastle United have won their last nine matches in all competitions. The Magpies are looking to win ten successive games for the first time in their history.
- Bournemouth have scored more goals via substitutes than any other side in the Premier League this season (11). With their combined goals and assists, substitute goal involvements have been worth 17 points to the Cherries this term, also a league-high.
- Eddie Howe has been in charge of all 13 Premier League meetings between Newcastle United and Bournemouth. He has won only two of these 13 games (D6 L5) and is yet to beat his former side as Magpies’ manager (D4 L1).
- Justin Kluivert has scored more penalty goals than any other player in the Premier League this season, with six of his seven goals coming from the spot. Only Joshua King (12) has scored more top-flight goals from this set piece for the Cherries than Kluivert (6).
Player to Watch
Alexander Isak
Antoine Semenyo and Anthony Gordon were viable candidates for this section, but we have picked Alexander Isak as our Player to Watch for Saturday’s game. The Swedish international has been unstoppable in the last few weeks, playing an influential role in Newcastle United’s incredible winning run.
Isak has scored in his last eight Premier League appearances for Newcastle United. Only two players have had longer scoring runs in the competition’s history – Jamie Vardy (11 between August-November 2015) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (10 between March-August 2003). The Swede will be eager to continue on his merry run in the coming weeks, including the game against Bournemouth this weekend.
Prediction
Newcastle United 2-1 Bournemouth
The match pits two of the most in-form teams in England, and one can expect fireworks from Saturday’s game at St. James’ Park. Eddie Howe and Andoni Iraola have done well to get their teams to punch above their weight through brilliant coaching, and the two sides will showcase that this weekend.
As iterated earlier, four of the last five Premier League meetings between Newcastle United and Bournemouth have ended in a draw. So, it will not be surprising to see another closely contested affair. However, the visitors will not stop the Newcastle juggernaut, with Alexander Isak inspiring another victory for the Magpies. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Eddie Howe and his men.
