Football writer Adam Goodwin (@agjournalism) shares his verdict from the Premier League encounter between Huddersfield and Newcastle.
Huddersfield vs Newcastle | Sunday 13:30 | Sky Sports
Huddersfield made their transition from the Championship to the Premier League look effortless as they dispatched of Crystal Palace 3-0 at Selhurst Park. Striker Steve Mounie bagged a debut double, and the Terriers will be heading into Sunday’s game full of confidence.
Newcastle had a more miserable return to the Premier League as they were beaten 2-0 by last season’s Premier League runners-up Tottenham. The Toon were well in the game before Jonjo Shelvey’s petulant kick out at Dele Alli, which left the referee no other option but to send the midfielder off.
Huddersfield with a heroic start to life in the Prem
David Wagner couldn’t have dreamed for a better start to life as a Premier League manager, not just the 3-0 victory, but the way his new players integrated into the team. Tom Ince, Jonas Lossl and Steve Mounie all impressed.
There’s no doubt Wagner will be expecting more of the same on Sunday. Mounie’s £11.7 million move from Montpellier looks like a superb bit of business and there’s no reason why he won’t add another to his Premier League tally this weekend.
There’s no doubting how much of an impressive performance it was from Huddersfield last weekend, but you have to factor in how poor Crystal Palace were. They’re currently undergoing a transitional period under new boss Frank De Boer and some of their defending on Saturday was truly horrendous. Huddersfield’s expected goals (ExpG) on Saturday was just 0.49, implying they took their chances well, or they get a bit lucky.
Many people believe that David Wagner’s high-intensity football will catch up with the Terriers over the course of a 38-game season, but for the time being, it seems to be working out alright for the German.
Toon could prosper with cool heads
All of Newcastle’s hard work against Tottenham was un-done after Jonjo Shelvey’s red card, but Rafa Benitez will undoubtedly take some confidence from the way his side started the game.
Dwight Gayle had a couple of chances to open the scoring in the first-half, but failed to capitalise. It is understood that Benitez is still after a striker, but Newcastle still has plenty of attacking options at his disposal – Gayle, Mitrovic & Ayoze Perez just to name a few.
This fixture ended in a 3-1 win over Newcastle last season: Gayle, Ritchie and Murphy all netting for the Toon. Huddersfield had 76% possession that day, and despite both sides strengthening their squads since then, this could be a good idea as to how Sunday’s game will pan out.
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This game saw a total of seven goals over two fixtures last season, and I can see more of the same on Sunday. Huddersfield showed last week that they have no problem in scoring goals at this level, and Newcastle looked good going forward against arguably the best defence in the league. Both Teams To Score 19/20 with 10Bet and I fancy that to land.
I also fancy Huddersfield striker Steve Mounie to add to the two goals he scored against Crystal Palace. The Beninese forward scored 14 goals in for Montpellier last season, just one less than Monaco wonderkid Kylian Mbappe, and he’s 21/10 with Paddy Power to notch on Sunday.
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Huddersfield vs Newcastle – Both Teams to Score (19/20 10Bet)
Huddersfield vs Newcastle – Steve Mounie to score anytime (21/10 Paddy Power)
