Newcastle - Wolverhampton 13-09-25

Newcastle before and after Alexander Isak. That will be the big question now, will the team be as effective as it was when the Swede was at his worst? That is the big problem for these talented football teams, there are always bigger clubs ready to snap up the best players. It happens time and time again, and we have had plenty of examples of this this summer in England. Brentford is lagging behind, as is Bournemouth. Not to mention Newcastle and Wolverhampton. Both teams lost their best attacking weapon to supposedly bigger clubs. You have to start over, and the scouting team has to try to find gold once again.

Newcastle must get their season started now. Two points after three rounds played is not enough, and Wolves must be punished. The away team is in even bigger trouble, with three goals and a hat-trick to begin with, and with eight behind the curve the challenges are great. Will Wissa and Woltemade revitalize Newcastle's attacking play over the international break? Not easy to say, but there is no doubt that this match has been touted as an excellent opportunity for three fresh points.

Newcastle – Big stars have traveled before, and big stars will come

Because the situation gradually became unbearable. Everything was about Isak, and even if you go out to the media and say that the focus is on the sporting side and that you don't care about transfer rumors, no one buys this. The squad is rumored to be divided in the Isak farce, where some sympathized with the Swede, while others believed that he was the root of all evil. That doesn't help. The end result was that he left, for a staggering sum. Newcastle threw themselves around and brought in Yoane Wissa, among others. The goal-scoring Frenchman has formed a deadly duo with Mbuemo at Brentford for a few seasons now, and there is little doubt that he knows where the goal is. If Newcastle can get him to work together with talented guys like Elanga, Gordon and Barnes, then we'll talk! But that's not all, the huge German, Nick Woltemade, hit his head in the entrance gate at St. James' Park, and will continue to nod in a few corner kicks throughout the autumn. Can Eddie Howe muster them both from the start? Well, it's not impossible either. Wissa is fast, technical, and somewhat lower on the stocking. The good old recipe with a big one, and a small one, might work in 2025 too.

Newcastle have played two away and one at home. The two away games have ended 0-0, while the home game against Liverpool was lost 2-3. In this game, the home team showed enough determination and qualities to rule many a team on their own turf. Two goals scored in total in three games is far too bad. Hopefully for Newcastle, the two new guys will change this. Because, they have a good hold on Wolves. Three straight wins, where two have ended 3-0. I wonder if they can't get something similar on Saturday? If so, it will be exactly what the home crowd needs now.

Wolves – Without Cunha, and without reinforcements

Because this could easily turn out to be Wolves' last season on the top shelf for a while. Our own Strand Larsen tried to claw his way out of the gates on the eve of the window, but was rejected. Too bad for him, but a small bright spot for the club. For the Norwegian, the inventory is really the only thing left now. There is little that looks terribly exciting on the away team's training ground, and with 2-8 in the goal record after the first three, it looks pitch dark. Three goals conceded against Everton recently, even in front of their own fans, and with two goalless losses to Bournemouth and Manchester City respectively. It is not easy to find the reasons why this is only temporary, and thus determine that Wolves will make it beyond the season. This could quickly end in relegation.

Because that's kind of the situation there in the yard. Hwang was once again the spearhead against the aforementioned Everton, and with all due respect, that's not good enough. Nor are the midfield and defense particularly impressive. And when you now take the trip to Newcastle, to meet a hard-fighting home team in a desperate hunt for points, things could get worse. Because you don't particularly stand a chance against this Newcastle team either. Fast attacking players against a shabby defense, a tough midfield against a somewhat disillusioned midfield constellation, as well as Newcastle's powerhouses at the back, against some somewhat toothless attacking options for the guests. What indicates that this won't be overrun?

Wolves' hope must be the game plan for the day. It will probably be mainly about lying low, and trying to deny space. To succeed in this, as well as punishing the home team on counterattacks, seems like too much to ask for. Such a game plan, against a team that is known for giving a beating, is not just either. Here, the temperature, and the pace, will be high from the start, and it will take extremely careful execution to get to the finish. We do not think the guests have the necessary tools with them this time, and we also think that the bad streak will be extended.

Conclusion – Is it that straight forward, or are we slipping on a banana peel here?

Matches live their own lives, and we can't do much about any red cards and silly VAR decisions. However, if we ignore this, all arrows point in the direction of Newcastle now getting on the board, and noting three home points. Wolves are averaging almost three behind per match so far, so that tells us that it is more than just a little possible that the black and white striped ones will put at least two. It is still early in the season, so it is possible that we should not push it much further than that. By all means, the home team can easily win this one by at least two, but we are going for a slightly safer variant, all the time they conceded two at home against Liverpool. The parallels between Liverpool and Wolverhampton are few after all, so we should not put too much emphasis on it either.

Newcastle will probably muster some new attacking weapons in this one. It remains to be seen who will start, but there are several strings to play on now. Wolves, on the other hand, must hope that Strand Larsen is ready to play, otherwise it will be thin at the top. If they manage to hold off until half-time, the away team can of course frustrate them a bit, but that is rather doubtful. The assumption from here is that the home crowd will get up from their seats a couple of times, while the away team leaves the arena early.

England at 16:00: Newcastle – Wolverhampton: Home win + Over 1.5 total in the match (1.74)

Alternative game

England at 16:00: Newcastle – Wolverhampton: Home win – 1.5 goals (2.25)

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