Some (me included) will have you believe the Championship has already been won this season and with very good reason.
There can be no denying Newcastle United have been in imperious form after over-coming a shaky start to life in the second tier.
Six wins in a row is proof of that as this weekend the Toon look to make it seven as Cardiff City are the next victims (sorry visitors) to St James Park on Saturday afternoon.
The home win is surely a shoe-in so what do you bet on after you’ve found where to find a list of betting apps with free bets?
Cardiff City come into the game after a surprise 1-0 loss to fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic and will be a long price for the win. However, new boss Neil Warnock has pulled together some resemblance of form for the bluebirds since his arrival in early October.
Two wins and a draw after Warnock’s first three games was the perfect way to start his Cardiff career and pulled his side out of the relegation zone before defeat to Wigan.
That said, Cardiff have a poor defence record and have seen their net bulge 23 times in their 15 matches to date.
By contrast, Newcastle are the league’s top scorers with 32 goals this season already. That is five more than the next highest scoring team Barnsley.
The Magpies will score but who will get on the score sheet?
Dwight Gayle is stealing the show in front of goal for Newcastle this season.
The 26-year-olf has found the back of the net 11 times in 12 appearances this season following his transfer from Crystal Palace in the summer, meaning that an anytime goal scorer bet on Gayle could well be a wise move.
Not only do Newcastle hold the superiority over Cardiff this season, the last time the two met Newcastle condemned Cardiff to relegation from the Premier League.
That was in May 2014 when Newcastle ran out 3-0 winner’s courtesy of goals from Shola Ameobi, Loic Remy and Steven Taylor.
Since then fortunes have dipped for both sides although Rafael Benítez’s magpies look destined to return to the top.
Prediction
It does not look good for Cardiff. Current form and history goes against them and suggests Newcastle will win this at a canter. It is hard to disagree.
Expect a comfortable win for Newcastle, 3-0 should do it as Cardiff fail to find the net and slip further in the quagmire leaving Newcastle’s grip at the top firmly tightened.
