Kick-off: 1231, 04/01/2020
Stadium: Spotland
TV: BT Sport
Newcastle have a crippling injury list ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup trip to Rochdale and that could make them worth opposing at Spotland.
Dale are only 18th in League One but did take Manchester United to penalties in the EFL Cup after a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford earlier this season.
We think they can be competitive again here and 13/10 for the underdogs to avoid defeat is our initial Rochdale vs Newcastle prediction.
A Look At Rochdale’s Betting Odds
Rochdale enjoyed a timely boost on Wednesday when ending a run of three straight League One defeats by winning 2-1 at Accrington, who were unbeaten in seven outings.
“We showed great attacking intent against a team very similar to ourselves,” manager Brian Barry-Murphy told the Evening Express.
“The lads have been through a tough period but their spirits have remained undiminished and they got their rewards for their efforts over the last few weeks.
“We have a big FA Cup game against Newcastle now, which is exciting for the club, but it’s important we recover well for what will be a difficult test.”
Ian Henderson is in double figures for the season in that division after opening the scoring and the veteran forward also netted in a 5-2 EFL Cup thrashing of Bolton at this venue.
Dale looked a well-drilled outfit when taking on the Red Devils in that competition, with 17-year-old full-back Luke Matheson firing in a fairytale equaliser.
In League One, they have scored a healthy 17 goals in 13 away games, which suggests they are suited by opponents coming out to play.
Looking at the Rochdale vs Newcastle odds, we like 87/100 for both teams to score.
A Look At Newcastle United’s Betting Odds
Newcastle will obviously appreciate a drop in class after suffering a trio of Premier League losses to Manchester United, Everton and Leicester.
However, Steve Bruce has to contend with a whole host of absentees after suffering yet more injury problems on New Year’s Day.
Javi Manquillo, Jonjo Shelvey and Fabian Schar fell victim to hamstring issues during a 3-0 loss to the Foxes, Jetro Willems went off with a groin strain and DeAndre Yedlin played on with a suspected broken hand.
After seeing his casualty list rise to 10, Bruce moaned: “I said it a month ago, that to ask players to play four games in 10 days, for me, is ludicrous and unfortunately today is the consequence of that.
“I didn’t have the bodies to change, because we had four or five missing anyway, so it’s been difficult.”
United have gone out of both cup competitions early on for the past couple of years and clearly have more important issues to focus on, as they invariably struggle to survive in the Premier League.
Let’s finish off our Rochdale vs Newcastle betting tips by taking a punt on the hosts to pull off a 17/4 upset in front of the BT Sport cameras.
Additional stats
Last result:
Accrington 1-2 ROCHDALE – Ian Henderson, Stephen Dooley
NEWCASTLE 0-3 Leicester
Head-to-head: N/A
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