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Manchester City (1 win, 0 losses, 0 draws) welcomes Newcastle United (1-0-0) to Etihad Stadium Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET. Below, we preview BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Manchester City vs. Newcastle United odds, and make our best EPL bets, picks and predictions.
Man City kicked off its English Premier League season with a 3-0 win over Burnley Aug. 11. It lost to Arsenal in the FA Community Shield Final 1-1 (4-1 penalties) Aug. 6 but won 1-1 (5-4 penalties) while playing its top team vs. Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup Aug. 16.
City is led by F Erling Haaland, who scored twice against Burnley and led the league in goals last season. The home side will be without star M Kevin de Bruyne as he will be out for several months with a hamstring injury.
Newcastle United could be a contender for the title this season as it has all the right pieces to compete at the highest level. It thrashed Aston Villa 5-1 Saturday as 23-year-old Swedish star F Alexander Isak—who could rival Haaland for the Golden Boot—scored twice. Newcastle ended with 17 shots, 13 of which were on target. That has been its lone non-friendly match to commence the 2023-24 season.
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Manchester City vs. Newcastle United odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:31 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Manchester City -135 (bet $135 to win $100) | Newcastle United +333 (bet $100 to win $333) | Draw +290
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -150 | U: +110)
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Manchester City vs. Newcastle United picks and predictions
Prediction
Newcastle United 1, Manchester City 1
Moneyline (ML)
SPRINKLE DRAW (+290).
Newcastle has some strong, up-and-coming talent like M Bruno Guimaraes, who is a 24-year-old Brazilian center-mid, but it also has veteran leadership on its backline in 32-year-old English D Kieran Trippier.
United is a well-rounded club, and its fresh legs should give City—who will be down de Bruyne—some issues. City beat but didn’t destroy Burnley, ending with just 8 shots on frame. It drew 1 of 2 matches last season.
This should be a close, hard-fought battle, and for a small unit, I’d play a DRAW (+290).
Over/Under (O/U)
BET UNDER 2.5 (+110).
The high-level EPL matches are where these top-tier teams are tried the most. City has a strong backline with D Kyle Walker and D Nathan Ake. Without de Bruyne to bring the pace into the attack, City’s opportunities could be limited.
With their top players on the pitch, they scored just 1 on Sevilla and ended with 7 shots on frame. Newcastle has some new faces, and while it pummeled Aston Villa, it will get a far greater challenge against arguably the best backline in the league.
One of 2 matches went Under last season—the one played at Etihad Stadium. Expect the strong defenses to limit opportunities, unlike both teams’ openers. Back UNDER 2.5 (+110).
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